Power Rangers: The Little Samurai
by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Summary: A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting the Team Part I

**Author's Note:** I have recently become obsessed with Power Rangers Samurai and Super Samurai and after watching a few episodes completely fell in love with Jayden, I didn't like his attitude at first but he is an awesome character and very good-looking. Anyway, while watching the series my mind started to wander (as it does) and I started to wonder what it would be like if Jayden had another best friend, outside of Antonio, that grew up with him at the Shiba house, and thus, this story was born. I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Warning:** I do not know why I am uploading this now. I got back to University in a week and therefore won't really have time to do frequent updates. But I guess I am updating this now because I have spent the majority of the last week and a half perfecting the story line and forcing myself to write the chapters rather than just sitting there and watching the episodes over and over again. Plus, I didn't know Ji's last name, it is not listed anywhere, so Ava has her mother's maiden name.

**Character Profile**

**Name:** Avalon Brooks

**Nickname:** Ava or Av

**Age:** 16

**Height:** 5'3

**Weight: **110lbs

**Hair:** Chocolate brown curls

**Eyes:** Hazel

**Personality:** Ava is energetic and carefree. She has a kind personality, willing trust others and give them the benefit of the doubt, even when no one else is willing too. She isn't above getting down to business when necessary, however. She is also skilled at, and enjoys, riding horses, and is skilled in symbol powers, but her martial arts has room for improvement.

**Hobbies:** Dancing and Horse Riding

**Other Information:** Like her Zord, the penguin, Ava is aggressive yet gentle, outgoing but shy, stable yet flighty. She is kind, caring and knows when to have fun but also knows how and when to be serious. She has an interesting history that she tries to keep from the other rangers, and she will do anything to keep her friends and the innocent out of harm's way.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend is thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

"Mama, tell me story..." yawned three year old Ava Brooks. She had cuddled into her pillow and pulled her blankets up around her, covering her tiny body from shoulder to toes, with her head being the only thing her mother, Evelyn, could see.

It wasn't very late. Only 10:30pm. But given Ava's age that was a more than appropriate time for a bedtime story.

Evelyn Brooks, however, was on a time limit, and therefore did not have that much time to tell and increasingly long story that would put her one and only child to sleep. But since this was probably going to be the last time that she would ever see her daughter again, she would, at the very least, do her best to spend the last few precious moments fulfilling her daughter's wishes.

"Which story?" Evelyn smiled, covering her daughter with a second blanket and picked up a stuffed penguin from the bottom of the bed. Ava smiled at the plushie and hugged it closer to her. It was her most prized and favourite stuffed animal out of the lot, and she had a lot of stuffed animals.

"The Samuwi..."

Evelyn smiled again.

The Samurai story was a legend that had been passed down from generation to generation. It was a story based on a real life battle that was taking place at that current moment, it was something that she was a part of, just like her mother had been, and her grandmother, and her great-grandmother.

"Alright, princess," Evelyn nodded, settling on the bed beside her daughter and hugging her close. "The Samurai. Centuries ago in Japan, Nighlok monsters invaded our world, but Samurai warriors defeated them with power Symbols passed down from parent to child."

Ava's eyes were wide, despite the fact that she had heard this story so many times in the past; it was one of her favourites. "Are the Nighlok's around today, Mama?" she asked.

"Unfortunately," Evelyn nodded. "They had been defeated many years ago, but have recently resurfaced. But never fear, Princess, there is a new team out there battling the forces and protecting you and everyone else one Earth."

"More Samuwi?"

"Yes, Ava," Evelyn answered. "More Samurai."

"Like yooo?"

Evelyn couldn't help it as another smile graced her lips. "Listen to me, Ava," she said her tone suddenly serious. "One day this will belong to you," she carried out, reaching into her pocket and pulling out an oval device; it was white and black with a power symbol on top. Ava recognized the symbol, it meant snow.

"But Mama," Ava said, frowning as her mother passed over the device. "Penguin is yooo's..."

"Not anymore," Evelyn said, shaking her head and closing her daughter's hands over the Foldingzord. "Penguin belongs to you now. Keep him safe. Listen to your dad, and remember everything I have told you about Samurai. One day, Ava, the fate of the planet will fall to you."

Ava blinked, tiredly, lay back into her pillows and within seconds her eyes closed, her breathing evened out and she was lost in the world of dreams.

Evelyn sighed as she looked down at the Penguin Foldingzord and then, her gaze full of sadness; she placed it on the bedside table, before leaning over and pressing one final kiss to her daughter's chocolate brown curls.

"Sleep tight, Ava," she whispered, crossing the room and sliding the door open. She didn't want to leave, but she knew that her destiny and duties prevented her from staying with her daughter longer than need be. "Goodbye my sweet little Samurai."

**~*Thirteen Years Later*~**

"47... 48... 49... 50!" a little boy, no older than eleven or twelve, cried out as he uncovered his eyes and peered around the park. "Ready or not; here I come!" he added, wandering off towards the city in search of his hiding friends. He descended a couple of steps and peered in through a gap in the wall, hoping to catch a glimpse of his friends, all of which were in hiding. "Brian? Jimmy?" he called, anxiously.

However, his friends did not answer him, instead a glowing red light escaped the gap and several hands melted out of the wall, grabbed onto the stone and pulled themselves free. They landed all around the little boy, hissing and snarling menacingly, as the kid screamed in fear.

With a squeak the mini black and white metallic penguin swooped through the air and bashed as many moogers as it possibly could, at least until it was joined by another metallic creature, this time a red and black Lion.

"Penguin!" a female voice called from the top of the steps. "Return!"

The mini penguin squeaked as it and the Lion returned to the two new comers.

"Run! Get away from here!" An older gentleman ordered, scooping up the little boy, and ushering him away from the scene.

Raising an arm, the female that had spoken, waved it through the air, drawing a symbol in white ink. She lashed her hand through the symbol as a white, powdery mist engulfed the scene, once the mist cleared, and a red Power Ranger stood alongside her.

"Look before you, Moogers," the older gentleman said as he returned. "This is the eighteenth leader of the Samurai Power Rangers. Descendant of the man that destroyed your master years ago."

The Moogers snarled and hissed between themselves, as if speaking their own language, before turning their attention back to the situation at hand.

"You have two choices," the older gentleman continued. "Retreat now or become rust on his blade."

"Aw, but if there is no fun in retreating!" the female pouted.

"She has a point," the Red ranger agreed. "Besides, I don't want them to retreat..." he said, removing a black disk from his belt, sliding it down the handle of his sword and locking it in place around the hilt. "I want to take them for a spin!"

The female grinned at the prospect of a fight. She stood at 5'3 with chocolate brown curls that bounced as she shuffled, anxiously, from foot to foot, her hazel eyes ablaze with excitement as she watched the Red ranger slice through the Moogers as if they were paper cut outs.

Once each Mooger had been defeated, the Red ranger turned back to his companions, and the female dashed forward to meet him.

"That was awesome, Jayden," she grinned, hugging him. "Wasn't he awesome, daddy?" she added turning to smile at the older gentleman.

"Wonderful," the man nodded. His name was Ji; he was the mentor to Power Rangers Samurai, godfather to the Red Ranger, Jayden, and father to the pretty little female, Avalon, although she was more commonly known as Ava. "I am so proud of the boy that I have devoted my life to training has grown into a master Samurai, and is ready to lead others into battle!"

Avalon, or Ava, as she preferred, bit her lower lip and glanced up at Jayden, her arms were still bound around his waist and his arm was still slung around her shoulders; but despite their actions, his expression looked anything but relaxed or happy.

"But i'm used to fighting alone," said Jayden. "I don't want to put anyone else in danger."

"Is that why I can't find my Samuraizer?" Ava gasped.

"Maybe," Jayden smirked.

Ava wrinkled her nose at him. "I will find it," she promised.

"Good luck with that," Jayden nodded.

"And if I can't I'll make you pay!"

"We will talk about the missing Samuraizer when we get home," Ji said, interrupting them. "Right now we have bigger problems. The Nighlok attacks are escalating; Jayden, more and more of them are coming across to do their evil -"

"Sure," Jayden nodded. "And if any more Moogers dare to pay us a visit they'll get a taste of my spin sword."

His arm slipped from Ava's shoulders as he walked around Ji, missing the slight shiver that tingled down Ava's spine as he let her go. It wasn't due to the fact that she was cold, because in honest truth she was anything but, it was more to do with the fact that she felt almost incomplete whenever he was not near her.

"Do not underestimate the power of Master Xandred if he ever awakens," Ji said. "His Nighlok allegiance is too much for just one person. Even one has strong as you."

Ava lowered her gaze as a distant memory surfaced to the front of her mind; it was a memory of her mother, the White Samurai ranger on the last Samurai team to go up against Master Xandred she had died in battle, protecting her friends. But she hadn't died because she had been a part of a team; she had died because she had stood alone against Xandred to protect her friends from evil forces.

"Teams of Samurai have battled this evil for centuries," Ji continued, breaking through his daughter's thoughts.

"I'm really supposed to lead a team?" Jayden asked, turning back to face his godfather, he noted the look on Ava's face and made a mental note to indulge into her further once they had returned home. Although he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking about, there was only one person that could ever make her look so sad.

"It is what your training has prepared you for," Ji nodded. "There are four others that have prepared for these dark days, and they await the call to join you and to fight as Samurai rangers."

Jayden hesitated, before nodding and walking away. Ji following.

"Hey," Ava squeaked, snapping out of her thoughts and running to keep up. "You can start by giving me back my Samuraizer."

"What makes you think I have it?" Jayden asked.

"Have you met you, Jayden?" Ava asked. "Now hand it over."

Jayden held up his hands. "I don't have it," he said, trying to sound serious.

Ava offered him a pointed look. "I know you have it! You always have it!" she said.

"Oh, you mean this?" Jayden teased, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out the cellphone-like morpher. He held it high over Ava's head as she made a lunge for it.

"Give it to me!" Ava whined, jumping for the Samuraizer, mentally cursing him for being that much taller than her.

Jayden chuckled at her attempt to retrieve what was hers. "Nearly there, Av," he taunted, waving the Samuraizer just out of reach. Her fingers brushed the cool surface but didn't grip as he held it further out of her reach.

"No fair!" Ava pouted, as she fell back onto her feet, folded her arms and glared at him. "You're taller than me!" she whined, before turning to her father. "Daddy!"

"Jayden," Ji said, holding his hand out for the Samuraizer.

Knowing better than to argue with Ji, Jayden handed over the Samuraizer as Ava grinned, smugly, before accepting the device from her father and pocketing it. She then turned towards her best friend.

"You know," she said, pulling ahead and turning so that she was walking backwards. "For a Red ranger, you suck, big time!"

"I'll show you who sucks!" Jayden said, lunging for her.

Ava squealed and made a dash for the park as Jayden chased along after her, leaving Ji to follow behind them. It was sometimes difficult for the Mentor to believe that these two would be out saving the world from evil, when they could barely stop teasing one another for more than a few seconds.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava giggled as the penguin Foldingzord danced around her, swaying back and forth on its snowboard.

She was sitting on the front porch with Jayden after returning from the park, where the red ranger had caught up with her, just short of the children's play area, tackled her to the ground, pinned her to the ground with one hand and tickled her, feverishly with the other until she practically begged him to leave her go.

The penguin Foldingzord was a present that she had received from her mother thirteen years ago. It was the night of the final battle between the previous team of Samurai rangers and Master Xandred, two rangers had been lost in the battle against the Master while the others had returned, downhearted and broken about the loss of their friends.

Evelyn Brooks, Ava's mother, had been one of the rangers not to return. She had been labeled brave and fearless in the face of danger by her friends and team-mates, but knowing that her mother had died a hero did not soothe the ache in Ava's heart at the loss.

Jayden's father, Charles Shiba, was the second ranger not to return. According to his team-mates, Master Xandred had set his sights on the Red ranger and tried to eliminate him before he could cast the sealing symbol, and he probably would have succeeded had Evelyn not pushed Charles aside, taking the blast for him.

She had died on impact.

Charles had then cast the symbol, sealing Master Xandred away in the Netherworld, before crawling the short distance to where Evelyn had fallen, took her hand in his and took his last breath, there and then, alongside the White ranger. They had died as they had been known: Rangers together, Friends forever.

"Rangers together," Ava muttered, scooping up at her Penguin. "Friends forever..."

Jayden, who was sitting alongside Ava, paused and glanced subtly at her from the corner of his eye.

"Your mom died a hero," he reminded her.

"I know," Ava nodded. "So did your dad... but knowing that doesn't mend a broken heart. We still lost our parents."

"Well, technically, I still have a mom," Jayden pointed out. "And you still have a dad. So we didn't really lose our _parents_, we just lost _a_ parent!"

Ava narrowed her eyes at him.

"Did you just contradict me?" she asked.

"No," Jayden chuckled. "I was just pointing out a fact that you seem quick to overlook. And it's: Rangers together, Samurai forever..." he corrected.

"But we'll always be friends, right? No matter what happens?"

Jayden smiled and nodded. "Always," he promised, pulling her into a one-armed hug and looking down at the two Zords in their palms. He and Ava may have been friends forever, and it seemed their Zords were too.

Ava giggled again before rendering her penguin immobile as her father hurried out onto the porch; he was carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Jayden, Ava," he called, drawing their attention to him. "Master Xandred must have awakened. A new breed of Nighlok more powerful than ordinary Moogers have mobilized."

Ava exchanged a worried and slightly scared look, with Jayden.

"You cannot wait any longer," Ji implored. "The time has come to summon your team of Samurai rangers."

"Are you sure i'm ready to lead?" Jayden asked. He still had doubts about his abilities. And his leadership abilities were on his doubt list.

Ji nodded. "One Samurai is strong," he explained. "But a team is unbeatable. Just remember your father's words as he left for his final battle."

Ava glanced up at Jayden as he lowered his gaze, his eyes glazed over, just like they did whenever he thought back to that fateful night. She, of course, remembered it clear as day, it was the night she had asked her mother to tell her the story of the Samurai warriors, it had been the last story she had ever heard.

"You're right, Ji," Jayden nodded. "I'll never forget his last words. I must not fail! I am the Red Ranger!"

"The other Rangers have spent their whole lives preparing to fulfill their Samurai destinies," Ji explained. "Fulfill your destiny to lead them..."

Jayden hesitated and glanced at Ava.

It was a look that Ava recognized all too clearly.

"Wherever you go," Ava said, smiling as she took his hand and squeezed it. "I go! Samurai together, Friends forever!"

Jayden matched her smile and pulled her into a one-armed hug as he turned to Ji and nodded.

Ji nodded once, in return, before loading an arrow into the bow and letting it soar high into the sky.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Pushing open the doors to the Shiba house, Ji led Ava and Jayden into the family room. He rounded the rectangular table and opened the trap door concealed in the wood. From a young age Ava had learned never to open this door, for inside rest four Samurai morphers. One for each of the four Samurai's that would one day join her and Jayden at the Shiba house.

"I have been saving these for until you were ready," Ji explained. "Take them. Your fellow Samurai are on their way!"

Jayden nodded and collected the four Samuraizers. "I am ready to lead," he agreed, placing the four morphers in a red satchel as Ava returned to the front doors, she disappeared through them as Ji and Jayden followed her.

"Symbol power," Ava said, snapping open her Samuraizer and drawing another symbol in mid-air. "Horse!"

A magnificent white horse with red reigns and saddle appeared in front of her, causing Ava to grin at her work. Symbol power had always been one of her strong points. With no time to admire her handy work, the White ranger darted forward and caught the reigns, pulling herself up onto the saddle behind Jayden.

"Never forget the mission of the Samurai ranger," Ji told them. "Be brave. Work together and no matter what never give up!"

Ava nodded before tightening her grip around Jayden as, with a forceful swing of the reigns, the horse galloped off towards the gates of the Shiba house.

"Samurai forever," Jayden called back.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The ground rocked as another explosion echoed from the inner city. Flames blazed brightly from a distance as smoke spiraled uncontrollably into the air.

Kevin, the new blue ranger, skidded to a halt at the edge of the road as a Black SUV with the ranger emblem drove towards him. "Wait!" he said, running out into the middle of the road, waving his hands to get the drivers attention. "Wait! Wait!" he rounded the back of the car and stood at the tainted rear view mirror. "I'm Kevin. And I'm here to fight with you!" he said.

The window rolled down to show a female with long dark hair in the back seat.

Kevin gasped and quickly zipped up his jacket, which he had hastily put on after the message arrow had interrupted his swimming meet. He hadn't had complete time to change into his clothes and therefore pulled on his trousers and a jacket.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't know that the red ranger was a girl."

"I'm not the red ranger," the girl answered, opening the door to the SUV and getting out. She was smaller than Kevin, but he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. "I'm the Pink. My name's Mia."

Footsteps skidded to a halt as a petite blonde in Yellow stopped beside them. "Are you the Red ranger?" she asked, looking to Kevin.

"No," he answered. "I'm the Blue."

"Oh," the blonde frowned, confused, just as a guy in green approached her from behind.

"You guys must be my peeps," he said, sounding and acting more like a teenager than most. He was wearing a green leather jacket, white shirt, and black jeans.

Kevin frowned and pointed at him. "You're the Red ranger?" he asked.

"No, i'm mighty Green," the kid answered, staring at him, puzzled.

The sound of hooves caused the four multicolored hero's to turn down the road just as a white horse galloped to a halt a few feet in front of them and reared up onto its hind legs.

"With an entrance like that you have to be the Red ran - oh..." the Green ranger, Mike, trailed off as he noticed there were two people on the back of the horse. "Two Red rangers? Is that even possible?" he frowned turning to the other three.

Kevin shook his head.

Ava giggled and held up her Foldingzord. "I'm not a Red ranger," she said. "I'm White."

"Cool," Mike nodded, turning to Jayden. "So that makes you the Red Ranger."

Jayden nodded, and copying Ava's actions, held up his Foldingzord. "Yes. I am the Red ranger." he said.

"We're your team of Samurai," Kevin addressed.

"Let me warn you now," Jayden said. "If you follow me there is no turning back. Either we defeat the Nighlok together or they will take over the world. I will give these -" he held up his Samuraizer, "only to those ready to accept the challenge. Do not accept because you were trained to do so. Accept only if you are willing to commit and fight as Samurai Power Rangers with all of your heart."

Ava surveyed the other Rangers as she remained on top of the horse whilst Jayden climbed down onto the pavement beside her. From where she was situated, Ava could tell that whilst each of the other Samurai had been trained for this moment, it was obvious that they had other things going on in their lives, things that they had to drop in order to fulfill their duties.

As he gazed down at his swimming cap and goggles, Kevin sighed, before looking back up at his new team leader. "Without hesitation," he nodded.

"I've been planning for this since I was a little girl," Mia, the pink ranger smiled. "So yes."

"I'm ready to give it all I've got," the Yellow ranger, Emily, agreed.

"Okay, okay, do we have to be so formal?" the Green ranger, Mike, asked. "Let's do this thing!"

Ava smiled and nodded at Jayden as he turned back to her. Was there any real point in her telling him that she was ready and prepared for what was to come? He already knew that she would follow him to the ends of the Earth and beyond if she had too.

Removing the four Samuraizers from the satchel, Jayden threw each of them to his new team-mates, before returning to Ava and helping her down form the horses back. "Let's go!" he said, leading them towards the inner city where the Nighlok's were causing chaos.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The Nighlok monster laughed as several people rolled down the stone steps and stopped at his feet. "C'mon down," he cackled, raising his sword as the people beneath him quivered in fear.

"Enough!" shouted a male voice from the top of the steps.

The Nighlok paused and looked up. "Well it's about time!" he said, as the group of Samurai teenagers stepped into view. "Huh, c'mon, who are you punks?"

"We're the Samurai rangers," Jayden said, snapping open his morpher. "Samuraizer!"

"Go, Go Samurai!" the five kids called out, as they brought up their morphers, before drawing their respective symbol in mid-air, with a powerful swipe multicolored spandex molded over their uniforms as a helmet snapped into place, and, to complete the look, a spin sword appeared at their waist. "Samurai Ranger, ready! Ha! Rangers together, Samurai forever!" they added completing the morphing call.

"Moogers!" the Nighlok yelled. "Get 'em!"

Spin swords drawn the Rangers met the Moogers head on, dividing them into five groups and taking on a group to themselves.

"I'm gonna flay all you fish faces," Kevin said, striking down two Moogers at once.

"Just like chopping down weeds back home," Emily said, pushing a Mooger away from her and delivering a final strike to another that tried to sneak up on her from behind.

"Oh, wow," Mike said, as he rolled back and forth on the floor. "I'm really getting my workout for the day!"

"Did someone order a chopped Mooger salad?" Mia asked, jumping into the thicket of her own Moogers and slicing them down as if they weren't even there.

"Man, I hate fish!" Ava complained, ducking to avoid her head being taken off. The Mooger behind her snarled as its companion's sword sliced into its shoulder. "Haha! They can take out themselves!" she laughed, unknowingly noticing that the Moogers were backing her into a corner. "Uh oh..." she squeaked as her back hit the wall and the Moogers closed in on her.

_**Damnit! Why do I do this to myself?**_ She asked herself, looking around for anyone that could help her out of this situation. "Jayden!" she called, spotting her friend a fair distance away. She knew that he was her best choice of action, he knew her better, and he also knew that fighting was still not one of her strong points.

Hearing his name, Jayden looked around.

"Oh no," he whispered, watching as his friend spun her sword wildly, but she was still trapped. "Hold on, Ava!" he called, defeating the last of his Nighlok and rushing to her aid. He jumped over the Moogers and landed in front of the youngest of all rangers and effectively dealt with those that were harassing her.

"I'm sorry," Ava muttered as the last of the Moogers stepped backwards away from the Red ranger's spin blade.

"It's OK," Jayden answered. "Just be thankful I'm here!"

Ava nodded and turned her attention back to the Moogers.

"Is that all you've got?" Jayden asked, diverting his attention back to the Moogers too. Those with swords stepped back, allowing a new set to take their place. This new set, however, were archers and were armed with bows and arrows.

Ava's eyes widened. "Guess not!" she muttered, squeaking as several hundred arrows rained down upon her and Jayden.

"Whoa!" Jayden grunted, pushing Ava aside and wielding his sword through the air, deflecting and knocking arrows out of the way. One, however, managed to escape his blade and soared over his shoulder, he caught it just before it could embed into Ava's shoulder.

Ava sighed. She totally sucked at being a ranger. Five minutes into her first battle as the White ranger and already she had been saved three times by her best friend.

_**Maybe I'm **_**not**_** cut out for this...**_ she thought miserably as Kevin squeezed through the Moogers, chopping them down with ease.

The Blue Ranger then re-grouped with Jayden along with the others.

"There is dozens of them," Emily said, glancing around at the thousands of Moogers.

"Yeah, but we can hold them off!" Kevin said, calmly.

"But they keep coming!" Mia protested.

"I will help you," Kevin promised her. "Just hang tight!"

Ava swallowed and glanced up at Jayden through her visor; the red ranger nodded once, and squeezed her shoulder. Being the youngest on the team and his best friend, meant that she need not be afraid to show her true emotions, he already knew that she was nervous of her abilities and scared of the outcome that could occur.

"Guys, we can do this together," Jayden said, spinning the disk on the hilt of his sword, transforming it into his primary weapon. "Fire smasher!" he commanded, removing a red disk from his belt and locking it in place on the top of the weapon, he spun the fire smasher through the air, the others ducking to avoid being hit, and then run at the Nighlok that stood before him.

"What's he doing?" Kevin demanded.

"What he does best," Ava answered, following Jayden's lead. "Ice Naginata!" she removed her white disk from her belt and secured it to the staff-like weapon, twisted it between her hands and slashed at the Moogers that ran to meet her.

Kevin turned to the others.

"Let's help them out!" he said, rushing after Ava and mimicking her actions. "Hydro Bow!" he commanded, fastening his blue disk to the primary weapon and firing laser arrows at the Moogers.

"Sky Fan!" commanded Mia. "Time to blow you away!"

"Earth Slicer!" Emily said, throwing her own weapon at the Moogers, it whipped around them like a boomerang, cutting them down, before returning to the Yellow ranger.

"Hey!" Mike yelled, as he lost the grip on his sword. He ducked under and attack and swiped the feet out from underneath the attacking Mooger. "That was a nice trick," he nodded, reclaiming his sword and holding it above him to avoid having his head taken off. "But I've got more than one trick up my sleeve. Forest Spear!" he said, transforming his spin blade into a staff like weapon, he attached his disk and a short pointed blade appeared at the top.

While the other rangers dealt with the Moogers, Jayden went after the Nighlok.

"Booya!" the Nighlok said, spitting fire blasts at Jayden, who protected himself with his Fire smasher, he met the Nighlok head on, smashing him into a concrete pillar under the bridge.

"I think this will make an impact on you!" said Jayden, spinning his fire smasher through the air and slicing through the Nighlok and the pillar. He turned his back as the monster exploded and the others re-grouped ahead of him.

Ava smiled beneath her visor.

"Whoo!" Mike cheered. "Did you see how I rocked that Mooger?"

"What about Jayden?" Emily sighed, causing Ava to glare at her.

"Yeah," Mia nodded. "We _all_ did great!"

"Great Samurai moves," Kevin said, stepping closer to Jayden. "You really are a master Samurai!"

Ava rolled her eyes, thankful that no one could see her.

"Thanks," Jayden nodded, retracing his steps and falling into lines beside them. "But we're not done."

"We're not?" Mike asked.

"But he went boom!" Emily nodded.

"The Nighlok's have two forms," Ava answered them.

"She's right," Jayden agreed. "You just saw the first..."

The fire from the explosion curled inwards and started to clear.

"Now get set for the Mega monster!" said Ava, looking skyward as a thirty foot version of Tooya towered over them. "Get out of here! Go!" she added pushing Mike aside as the new thirty foot monster stomped down on them, missing them by inches.

"Whoa!"

"Look at the size of him!" gasped Mike.

"How are we supposed to fight that?" Mia asked.

"Guys, we can fight this Nighlok," Kevin said, frustrated with the other's doubts. He swung his sword around and sheathed it on his belt. "Remember your training. We all have our own Foldingzord. If we each use our symbol power we can morph into Mega-mode."

Ava glanced at Jayden and pushed herself to her feet, reaching for her Foldingzord and Samuraizer.

"You're right," Jayden nodded at Kevin. "Follow my lead! Lion Foldingzord! Mega Mode power!" he tossed his Spin sword into the air, and drew a symbol over his Foldingzord which enlarged and transformed into a giant Lion to battle the Nighlok.

"See you in the air," Ava grinned over her shoulder. "Penguin Foldingzord! Mega Mode power!" she, just like Jayden had done, threw her spin sword into the air, placed her Foldingzord on the floor and drew the same symbol her friend had over it, her penguin squeaked as it grew larger, swaying back and forth on its snowboard. Ava smiled as her body armour transformed and she jumped into the cockpit of her zord.

With her Spin sword in hand, Ava contracted it inwards and locked it into the control panel in front of her, along with her starter disk now she could control the Penguin zord herself.

"We're right behind you!" Kevin said from the ground, and next second four a Turtle, Dragon, Ape and Bear, joined the Penguin and Lion Foldingzords in the air.

Tooya laughed as he fired his laser weapons at the five Foldingzords, the blasts exploded around the Ape, Bear and Lion, as the Turtle, Dragon and Penguin flew around them.

"Here goes," Jayden said, as the Lion zord snarled and lashed forwards, skirting around Tooya, avoiding his lasers and attacking.

"Bad kitty!" Tooya yelled, slashing at Jayden with his swords.

The Lion zord pulled back and growled at the Nighlok.

"We'll help you, Jayden!" Kevin said, venturing the Dragon zord forward. "I'll come from the left!"

"I'll take him from the right!" Emily nodded, commanding her Ape zord forward. The Dragon and Ape attacked, simultaneously, with Emily jumping up onto a nearby building and then racing down and jumping at Tooya, causing him to cry out as he was battered from all angles.

"My turn to give it a whirl," said Mia, retracting the head and fins of her turtle and spinning in a complete 360 circle.

"Oh, I better get busy," said Tooya, "in making you dizzy!"

He hit the top of the Turtle zord, sending Mia spinning out of the way. The jaws on his skirt then opened and trapped the Pink ranger inside.

"Oh no, i'm stuck!" Mia cried out.

"Hold on, Mia!" Mike called as he thundered forwards in his bear zord. Pulling back on his control panel, Mike ordered his bear zord onto its hind legs as he pawed at the Nighlok. "Spit her out, Skirt breath!" he ordered, only to be lifted into the air, like a teddy bear, and being dropped.

The bear, now in its immobile state, hit Tooya's foot causing him to spit Mia out.

"Thanks, Mike," Mia nodded.

"No problemo," Mike responded. "Now let's get out of here!"

"With you," Mia said, as she and Mike attempted to roll away.

Tooya tried to follow but was attacked from the sky by Kevin; he had reverted his Dragon Zord back into its immobile state and was attacking as a hexagon rather than a dragon. Jumping backwards, the Blue ranger transformed back into a dragon, and slithered, like a snake, through the air. "Mega Blade! Dragon splash!" he spurted hot blue flames at Tooya, as the others thundered in from behind.

"My turn!" Ava said, swooping high up into the air, the wings of her penguin flapping around. While Penguin's couldn't fly out of water they did flap their wings as they moved.

"Annoying bird!" Tooya growled, firing his laser weapons at the Penguin. The blasts made hits with the exterior Zord but turned to solid ice upon impact. "What?!"

"Time to put you on the deep freeze!" Ava said, swooping in low and swaying the snowboard back and forth as her zord looped around Tooya before slicing across his stomach. The Nighlok groaned as his mid-section turned to ice, the fragments of which travelled both north and south before he was completely incased.

"What an ugly ice sculpture!" Emily and Mia agreed.

Pulling ahead of the others, the Lion zord run under Ava as she swooped over him, leaving Tooya frozen behind her, she didn't see the point in hanging around, it wasn't like the Nighlok was going anywhere, at least not anytime soon.

"Mega blade!" Jayden said, removing his sword from the console and transforming it back into a blade. "Pentagonal Fury! Strike!"

Tooya sparked dangerously before exploding into millions of tiny snowflakes.

"Samurai Rangers! Victory is ours!" Jayden nodded, shouldering his sword. "That'll teach him to mess with the Samurai rangers."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Emily grinned as she walked ahead of the group, following Ava, who was a little upset that Jayden had rejected her hug at the end of their first battle as a team, into the grounds of the Shiba house. Thinking that she was going to be the youngest on the team, Emily was pleased to say that she had, at least one other ranger, who was the same age as her.

"What a rush!" said the blonde, looking down at her Foldingzord that hung around her neck. "We did good."

"Piece of cake!" Mike agreed, tossing his own Foldingzord into the air and catching it. He did it several more times for the Penguin zord swooped past him, distracted him, and caused him to miss the green square.

Mia gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as the square grew closer and closer to the pebbled stone path.

"Oops," Ava said, catching the green square before it had a chance to hit the floor. "My bad. Sorry, Penguin gets a little over excited! Here!" she tossed the Bear Foldingzord back to Mike, who caught it and pocketed it.

"We could never have done it without each other," Jayden nodded, smiling at Emily and missing the burning glare that Ava sent his way at the notion.

"Thank you for leading us into battle," Kevin said, taking Jayden's attention off of Emily and projecting it onto himself. Ava seemed to relax, visibly, a notion that did not go amiss by Mia, who smirked lightly to herself.

"Bravo," said Ji as he stepped out of the house behind the new team.

Ava smiled and dashed forward; Jayden may have rejected her hug, but she knew that her father wouldn't have. "Did we do well, Daddy?" she asked.

"Such energy," Ji nodded. "Such grace..."

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," Ava smiled.

"Who is that?" Mike asked turning to face the older gentleman as Ava sank into his embrace.

"This is Ji," Jayden answered. "He is our mentor and Ava's father."

"Welcome to your new home," Ji smiled, addressing the new team. "You have all come from different places and families, but share one noble goal. I am very proud of how you have come together."

"We just followed some good advice and worked as a team," Jayden nodded.

"Yes," Ji agreed. "But you are not just any team."

"We're not?" Ava asked, curiously and innocently.

Ji smiled and looked down at his daughter. "No, Ava," he said, squeezing her into a one-armed hug. "You are the Samurai Rangers!"

Ava grinned and bounced back towards her new team-mates as they each turned to face one another, she held out her hand as her Penguin Foldingzord squeaked and landed in her palm, turning back into its oval immobile form.

"Rangers together," the team of six called out, each with their own Foldingzord in hand. "Samurai forever!"

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N:** Please be nice. This is my first attempt at a Samurai story, although it is not my first attempt at a ranger story. I hope this lives up to the standards of my Ranger series from Phoenix series to the Lightning rangers series, including the Abby Holloway series and the Lost Thunder Ninja series. Either way, I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Friday, September 21, 2012 at 3:56am**


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Team Part II

**Author's Note:** I am happy to see so many people reading, reviewing and alerting this story. It makes me really proud to know that people appreciate my work. Keep it up lovelies.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **Andrewjeeves, HotaruKenobi, Sardellihalas, Grapejucie101, Dandelion657, Kiba1278, Pixiescale1185, Weathergirl17248, The Silver Magician of Chaos, Jessfairy88, FictionFan2014, Optima99, Drunk234, Bethhh** and **Trinaa95** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend is thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

"There is more to being a Power Ranger than just mastering a sword," said Ji, as he paced behind the five rangers, all of which were painting their power symbols on an easel. "You must also learn to use your inherited Symbol powers," he stopped behind Jayden. "Yes, Fire symbol!"

Ava grinned as the fire symbol burned brightly, igniting Jayden's paint brush in the process. The Red ranger smiled and blew out the flame.

"Yes," Ji nodded, turning to Kevin. "Water."

Kevin's symbol turned pale and flooded off of the paper, hitting the Blue ranger straight in the face.

"Good. Earth symbol!"

Emily smiled as her symbol turned into a boulder, the smile, however, vanished when the boulder hit the floor, landing directly on Kevin's foot causing him to hop around in pain.

"Oh..." Kevin howled.

"Oh, i'm sorry!" Emily cried. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, i'm fine," Kevin nodded.

Ava giggled and turned back to her painting.

"Ah, the symbol for Wind," Ji sighed as Mia finished her own painting, and a gust of wind blew around her.

The Pink ranger smiled and glanced down the line at Ava. She had learned, rather quickly, that while Ava struggled with Martial arts and fighting, symbol power had always been something that she had been able to master.

Putting brush to paper, the White ranger smiled as her symbol disappeared and the multi-shaped snowflakes started to rain down upon her and her friends.

"The symbol of Snow," Ji praised, as Jayden brushed snowflakes off of Ava's shoulders. "Well done, Ava!"

Ava nodded and turned to Mike, he was the only person left to master his picture, but, from the looks of things, he was having just as much trouble as she did when it came to fighting.

"Maybe it was this way," Mike pondered, painting several more symbols on the page. Nothing happened. "But that's it!" he whined.

"The order of the structure is wrong," Ava told him.

Mike heaved a heavy sigh as Ava leaned forward and hugged him.

"So now what do I do?" he asked.

"Practice makes perfect," Ava smiled.

"Ava is right, Mike," Ji nodded. "You must practice more."

Mike sighed and nodded. "OK," he said holding his paintbrush out, he paused, and then turned quickly too Ji. "How about a lunch break? You'd be surprised at how well I practice after a few slices of pizza!"

While Ji looked, distastefully at Mike's hand, which was on his shoulder, Ava chewed her lower lip and exchanged a look with Jayden. This was going to be fun.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava groaned as she glared up at Jayden.

"I hate you," she muttered, rolling over onto her knees and pushing herself back up onto her feet. "Must you floor me every single time?"

"If you kept your concentration I wouldn't floor you," Jayden said, tossing her a training sword. "C'mon. Your sword work needs a little work too!"

Ava rolled her eyes, screamed and raised her training sword as Jayden leapt at her. "No fair," she pouted. "I wasn't ready!"

"The Nighlok aren't going to wait for you to be ready, Ava," said Jayden. "You need to be always on alert!"

"I know," Ava muttered. "Ow! Jayden!"

Jayden smirked and shrugged, half-heartedly. He had only smacked her in the shoulder with the training sword. "Concentration, Av..." he repeated.

"I've come to hate training with you,"

"Aw," Jayden pouted, almost mockingly. "Suck it up!"

Ava frowned, her heart sinking slightly, but she dared not to cry at his patronizing demeanor. He didn't mean it, right? He was only trying to make her angry, angry enough to fight him. But did he have to sound so cruel?

"Guys," Mia called as she run out into the front garden. "Have you seen Emily?"

"The last I saw her," said Ava, "she was heading back to your room. Why? You haven't lost her, have you?"

Mia shook her head. "No, I just can't find her!"

"So you've misplaced her?"

"Would you stop?" Mia panicked. "I have to find her!"

Ava sighed and glanced at Jayden. "Alright. Grab Mike and Kevin," she said. "We'll split up and find Emily."

"Thank you," Mia nodded disappearing back into the house to get the boys.

Ava, meanwhile, turned to Jayden. He had turned his back on her and was walking away towards the back of the house. "Aren't you going to come help?" she called after him.

"No, I have training," Jayden answered. "And so do you, but -"

"Emily is our friend, Jayden," Ava cut across him. "We can't leave her out there!"

"She's a big girl, Ava, she can look after herself!"

Crossing the path, Ava grabbed Jayden's hand and turned him to face her. "She's a country girl," she said. "She doesn't know the city like we do. So could easily get lost."

"Then why are you still here?" Jayden asked, tugging his hand from hers. "Go find your country girl. I'll be here when you get back."

Ava frowned as he walked away, his footsteps crunching on the pebbles beneath his feet. "What's wrong with you, Jayden?" she whispered, turning her back on him and hurrying towards Kevin, Mike and Mia, all of whom were waiting for her near the gates.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Emily?" Ava called as she and Mike hurried down the high street. They had decided to search the high street while Mia and Kevin searched around the park and shopping district for any sign of their Yellow ranger.

Reaching the corner of the street, Ava looked towards Mike and sighed. "Let's check up here," she suggested, pointing to the street leading back to the park.

"OK," Mike nodded, starting to follow her down the street; he stopped, however, when the smell of food reached his senses. "Mhmm that smells good." he murmured following the smell, leaving Ava to run off without him.

Reaching the end of the street Ava stopped and turned in a full circle. "Emily?" she called again, her voice rebounding off of the buildings around her. "Emily - Em - Mike?!" she shouted, catching sight of the Green ranger. He was walking towards her carrying a box of Kabobs.

"What?" He asked. "I was hungry!"

"Do you always think of your stomach first?" Ava asked. "Emily could be in trouble!"

"Relax, Av," Mike said. "Emily's just probably sightseeing or shopping. I'm sure she's OK."

Ava shook her head. "Ough! You are exactly like Jayden!" she cried, turning her back on him and stalking away.

"What?" Mike shouted after her. "What did I say?"

Ava sighed as she re-grouped with Kevin and Mia outside the shopping district.

"Anything?" Mia asked.

"No," Kevin answered. "You?"

Ava shook her head.

"Where's Mike?"

"Probably eating his Kabobs," Ava grumbled.

"How can he eat at a time like this?" Kevin asked. "Emily could be hurt!"

"You guys worry too much," Mike said, as he finally arrived, chomping on a kabob. Kevin threw him a distasteful look, eyeing the kabob, which was halfway to the green ranger's mouth. "Wanna bite?" Mike asked, catching him staring.

Kevin shook his head. "No thanks. I never snack between meals when i'm in Samurai training." he said.

"When aren't you in Samurai training?" Mike exclaimed.

"Never,"

Ava stared at the Blue ranger. He reminded her of Jayden.

"Wow," Mia breathed. "You're really serious about this Samurai lifestyle."

"Of course," Kevin nodded. "Aren't you?"

"Yes, but I also want to have a normal life," Mia nodded. "You know, find my Prince Charming someday. I'm getting used to the idea that now I am a Samurai, but... it's a little scary."

"Well, it's a big adjustment," Kevin agreed. "You'll get used to it!"

Ava frowned. "All work and no play?" she asked. "Nuh-huh... i'm cool with being a Samurai, it's all I have ever known, but I refuse to give up my play times."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen,"

"And you still have play times?" Mike frowned.

"You don't?"

Mike shook his head and bit into another kabob. "Bite?" he asked, noticing Ava staring at him.

"Vegetarian,"

"OK," Mike shrugged, shoveling more food into his mouth.

Ava grimaced and turned back to Kevin and Mia. They were talking about Kevin giving up his dreams to swim in the Olympics to become a Samurai, she understood that they all had to give up something for this lifestyle, but the way Kevin acted it was like giving up his life was no big deal, yet she could feel that he was upset with the whole thing.

"Hey," Ava smiled, turning away from the Pink and Blue rangers. "Look, there's Emily!" she pointed out of the window. The Yellow ranger was in the park beneath them, training with her sword. "C'mon!"

Reaching the park the four Samurai's sighed in relief as they reached their friend.

"Emily," Mia sighed in relief.

"You've been training all by yourself?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Kevin grinned. "The dedication of a Samurai."

Emily smiled. "It's not just that," she said, with a slight chuckle. "I promised my big sister to work hard, so that I can be a good fighter just like the rest of you!"

"Your big sister?" Kevin asked slightly confused, and Ava could understand why; the Samurai destinies usually passed to the oldest of siblings.

Emily sighed and pulled a wooden flute out of her back pocket. "My big sister was supposed to become the Yellow ranger," she explained. "But she got sick. I had to take her place."

"Wow, that is a lot to ask of you," Mike said.

"It has been tough to see her go through her illness," Emily answered. "And anyways I wasn't a superstar at school..."

"Don't sell yourself short," Mia said.

"Oh, I do have talent," Emily said, turning quickly back to her friends. "I am really good at playing the flute and I can definitely handle a sword, so becoming a Power Ranger is a fresh start for me!"

Ava grinned and hugged her friend. "Now this is the type of Samurai I want to be," she said. "You're a true Samurai, Emily."

"Thanks," Emily smiled.

"You've been training hard," Mike smiled, pulling a fresh kabob from his box. "You deserve this more than I do! Here!"

Ava rolled her eyes and turned away.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Did you find Emily?"

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "She was training at the park!"

Jayden nodded and sat beside her on the porch. He had just finished training, alone, and come back to the front to put away his training supplies when he had seen her sitting outside. He hadn't even known she had returned. "Look, Ava, I'm -" he started.

"Don't worry about it," Ava smiled, shaking her head. "I get it! We're Samurai... there is no time for fun and games anymore, we have to have 100% commitment."

"Av -"

"I'm sorry for bailing on you earlier," Ava interrupted again. "I understand now that you're only trying to help me. I promise that I'll practice more on my skills and concentration. My commitment to Samurai training will double in effort and hopefully, by the time we face Xandred, I won't be the damsel in distress, and you won't have to save me all the time."

She sighed and looked down at her Foldingzord.

"I never really realized how much I reflected on my Zord until now," Ava said, quietly. "Penguins are supposed to be aggressive yet gentle, outgoing but shy and stable yet flighty. My personality reflects a penguin's perfectly, except i'm not aggressive, at least, I don't think I am."

"You've never been in a situation where you've needed to be aggressive," Jayden said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But I agree, you do reflect your Zord, perfectly."

Ava smiled. "My penguin is brave," she said.

"You're brave,"

"My Penguin doesn't always need saving,"

"Don't sell yourself short, Ava," Jayden said, pulling her closer. "We all need saving at some point."

"Even you?"

Jayden fell silent as Ava rested her head on his shoulder. Did he need saving? There were times when he felt like he did, but there was also times when he felt like he was stronger alone, that he could take on the Nighlok and protect others from putting their lives in danger. Where he could be the hero and protect the world, and yet, there were times where he was glad to have his team by his side.

"Yes," he nodded. "Even me!"

"Who's your hero, Jayden?" Ava asked. "Who saves you?"

Jayden turned his head slightly so that he could see her better, she was staring up at him through her long lashes, her hazel orbs boring deep into his own. She was so close, and yet so far away. _**Only a little closer**_ he told himself as he leaned forward, resting his head against hers. _**Just get closer. She's right there.**_

Ava felt her breathing even out as continued to stare up at him, he had failed to answer her questions, but as his face grew closer all rational thought left her mind. _**What's happening to us?**_ She thought as his hands fell to her waist and a shiver ran down her spine.

"Jayden?" she murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Who keeps your monsters away?"

Her breath tickled his face that's how close she was.

Jayden searched her face, his gaze lingered briefly on her lips before flickering back to her eyes.

Ava felt her heart hammer, painfully, against her chest as Jayden dipped his head slightly and continued to close the distance between them.

As Jayden's lips were a breath away a blaring ran through the house.

Ava groaned as Jayden pulled back and glanced over his shoulder. They were so close.

"The sensor!" Jayden said looking back at Ava, and gently run a finger across her lips. "Time to go play damsel," he teased.

A soft giggled escaped Ava, as Jayden pushed himself up and ran toward the front room and the others, leaving Ava to trail behind him.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Move your tails!" Scorpionic yelled as he slashed at a near-by building with his tail. The building shattered upon impact sending hundreds of innocent civilians running away from the scene, Moogers chasing after them.

"Don't attack them so quickly!" the Nighlok ordered as the Moogers cornered several civilians, forcing them to the ground or backing them into corners like trapped rats. "They sweat and squeal more if you corner them slowly - Argh!" he cried out as a red and black lion crashed against him, followed by a black and white penguin. "Get off! You buzzing tin cans!"

"Penguin!"

The Nighlok spun around at the shout, his gaze settling on the six civilian's behind him. The Penguin and Lion zoomed back to the group of six and transformed into immobile devices as they landed in the palms of their owners.

"Who's this?" Scorpionic asked.

"Samuraizer!" the Rangers yelled. "Go, Go Samurai!"

Drawing their respective symbols in mid-air the rangers morphed into their respective colours, summoned their spin swords, and rushed into battle.

"Hydro bow!" Kevin summoned, spinning the disk on his spin sword and transforming it into his secondary weapon. He pulled back on the plunger and fired several bright blue energy blasts at the Moogers above him.

"Sky fan!" Mia summoned, following Kevin's lead.

"Forest Spear!"

"Ice Naginata!" Ava yelled, spinning her secondary weapon over her shoulders and slashing at her group of Moogers. The second the blade touched their scaly skin, the foot soldiers froze, allowing Ava to slash through them with her Naginata and smash them into dust.

"Crunch time!" Scorpionic yelled and an explosion rocked the warehouse district.

Ava's head snapped up and a gasp escaped her throat as she saw Jayden hit the ground underneath the impact zone. "Jayden!" she yelled, belting across the rubble to her friend, she reached him at the same time as Emily. "What happened?"

"I hit him by mistake!" Emily cried.

"Bye-bye, Ranger," Scorpionic called as he raised his sword at the three rangers in his path. He burned a bright silvery-white as his tail extended and whipped out towards the Red, Yellow and White rangers.

"Jayden," Emily said, pushing herself up. "I'll cover you!"

"Emily!" Mia called from the otherside of the warehouse.

"Watch out!" Kevin shouted, throwing off his Moogers and running towards his team-mates, Mike and Mia in tow.

However, before the other three could reach their friends, Scorpionic attacked. His tail slashed down through the air intent on eliminating the three in its path.

"No!" Ava yelled, as Jayden's words from that morning echoed inside her head. Concentration was the key. _**Concentrate, Ava! You can do this!**_ Grasping her Naginata tightly, Ava pushed herself up, pulled back her arm, and threw the staff-like weapon, as hard as she could at the Nighlok. The Blade skimmed the side of his tail, turning it instantly to ice.

Emily gasped as the tail froze seconds before it hit her.

_**You did it; Ava**_ the White ranger congratulated herself. She had managed to hold her own in a battle with little-to-no-effort. She had managed the unthinkable, at least, in her mind it was the unthinkable. Maybe Jayden had been right when he said that she'd never been in a situation where she had to be aggressive. Maybe, just maybe, she did reflect her Penguin zord more than she realized.

"You did it, Ava," Mia said, patting the White ranger's shoulder and snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, nice job," Kevin nodded. They had just shattered the iced-tail of Scorpionic and were not prepared to deal with the rest of him.

Ava smiled. "Thanks! Jayden, are you OK?" she asked, kneeling beside him, seeing as he was the only person that was not on his feet.

"I'm fine!" Jayden nodded, as he got back to his feet. "Let's finish him Rangers!"

"But how?" Kevin asked.

"Use your Spin swords," Jayden answered, as he loaded his Red disk onto his sword. He spun it around as flames engulfed his sword.

The others nodded and followed his lead.

"Spin swords! Quintuple Slash!"

"Meh, big deal!" Scorpionic scoffed as he viewed the rangers from across the warehouse.

Weapons at the ready, the Samurai rangers charged at the Nighlok, kicked off from the ground and slashed down with their power-infused swords. Scorpionic cried out before he keeled over and exploded.

"Yeah!" Kevin cheered. "That was excellent!"

"It's not over," Ava said, turning back to face the Nighlok remains as the explosion disappeared and the Mega monster appeared.

"You didn't think you'd won, did you, Rangers?"

"We were kinda hoping!" Mike nodded.

Jayden held up his Lion Foldingzord. "Let's go!" he commanded. "Lion Foldingzord!"

"Penguin Foldingzord!"

"Dragon Foldingzord!"

"Bear Foldingzord!"

"Ape Foldingzord!"

"Turtle Foldingzord!"

"Mega Mode Power!"

Once the Zords assembled above them, each of the rangers materialized inside their respective cockpits, uploaded their controls to their consoles and prepared to take on the mega monster.

"Here! Choke on this!" Scorpionic growled, slashing at the ground and causing a blanket of dust to blind the Rangers.

"This isn't good!" Mike complained. "Where's the turbo switch!"

"The Zords alone aren't enough," Jayden answered. "We have to combine forces!"

"A Zord combination, right?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, it's called a Megazord!" Ava nodded as her Penguin swooped in overhead. "Do you think we can do that, Jayden?"

"It is possible, Ava," Jayden nodded. "We at least have to try!"

"Then let's do it!"

Jayden nodded. "Samurai rangers! Zords combine!"

Seconds later a Samurai Megazord stood proudly in front of the Nighlok, as the six rangers appeared side-by-side in the main cockpit. On the outside, the Zords had assembled in proper order; with Kevin and Mike forming the legs, Mia and Emily forming the arms, Ava had combined with Jayden to form part of the body while the rest of Jayden's zord formed the top half and the head.

"Samurai Megazord! We are united!"

"Now that's a Megazord!" Mike nodded in approval.

"Awesome!" Mia nodded.

"Heads up, everyone," Jayden said, bringing the topic back to the situation at hand. "He's closing in on us!"

"Katana power!" the rangers yelled out in unison, as Mia re-directed her Zord to grasp the hilt of the sword that had appeared on the Megazords waist. Blocking Scorpionic's attack, the six rangers pushed forward on their consoles as the Megazord pushed the Nighlok back, before stepping back as he swung downwards with his blade, hoping to hit them.

Ava giggled and waved her hands in the hair. "Too slow!" she teased, before ducking as the monster's sword soared over the head of the Megazord and crashed through a building. "Oops." she muttered as chunks of stone and debris crashed to the ground.

"Hopefully that building was insured," Mike nodded, patting her shoulder.

"That Nighlok's going down!" Mia said, unfortunately before the rangers could attack for the final strike the Nighlok called upon a little backup.

Ava's eyes widened. "No way!" she cried.

"Attack!" Scorpionic commanded.

"Uh-oh, looks like we've got some party crashes!" Mike said.

"Since when did they supersize?" Ava asked. "Thirty foot Nighlok are bad enough! But thirty foot Moogers? No fair!"

"Whoa!" Emily squeaked as several chains wrapped around the arms of the Megazord. "Now what do we do?"

"Who knows," Mike shrugged.

"Stay strong," Jayden ordered. "Stay focused!"

_**Concentration is the key**_ Ava thought. "That's it! Penguin Foldingzord! Sonic Ice!" she cried, pushing forward on her console.

The arms of the Samurai Megazord froze rapidly, the chains exploding under the pressure of the frozen water, and then, using the frozen shards of iron, Ava redirected them, through her control over snow and ice, at the Moogers, a grin formed as the shards ripped through the foot solders causing them to explode.

"Let's squash this Scorpion," Jayden instructed.

"Time to back up," Scorpionic said, running backwards as he realized he was in trouble now.

"Well we're not backing down!" Jayden said, as he and the others removed their swords from their consoles. "Now it's your turn!"

"No!" Scorpionic screeched.

"Katana power!" the rangers commanded. "Samurai strike!"

"Come on!" the Nighlok whined, as the Samurai Megazord twirled it's sword in a full circle, and as the rangers inside the cockpit slashed down with their own swords, the Megazord followed their chain of command, slicing the scorpion in half.

Ava grinned and bounced up and down on her toes. "Yeah, we did it!" she cheered.

"Way to go!" Kevin nodded.

"Samurai Rangers," Jayden approved. "Victory is ours!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava smiled as she led the way back into Shiba house, her father was waiting for her and the others in the hall outside the dojo.

"Well done," he approved once they were all assembled. "All of you!"

"Thanks, Ji," Jayden smiled.

"Hey, we couldn't have done it without Ava's quick thinking," Kevin pointed out.

Ava shrugged. "I was just doing as I was told," she said. "I was told concentration is the key... plus, it was a choice between us and that... _thing_!"

The others laughed at her, before turning to the sound of the door closing, as a depressed Emily finally returned.

"Hey, Emily, what's up?" Mike asked confused as to why she was looking depressed when they had won their second battle.

"Well," Emily started, nervously. "I almost let you all down today!"

"You did great, Emily," Jayden reassured her. "You were really strong."

"Your big sister would be very proud of you," Mia said, wrapping her arm around the Yellow ranger. Emily smiled and nodded at the thought of Serena, it was obvious that her sister's illness still plagued her, it was sad to see it eat away at the blonde.

Patting the Yellow ranger on the shoulder, Mike turned back to Ji and reached for his Samuraizer. "Hey, I've got something that'll cheer you up, Em," he said. "I've learned a new symbol."

"Really?" Ji asked.

Ava giggled at the look of disbelief on her father's face. Mike, the same person who had failed to master his inherited symbol had a learned a complete new one while searching for Emily and fighting Nighlok monsters. Was it possible?

Turning his back on his friends, Mike drew a green symbol in mid-air, and shouted "Fun!" as he activated it. Golden strips of confetti fell from the ceiling as the green ranger back flipped off the steps into the dojo, dancing to music that seemed to come from nowhere.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 5:03am**


	3. Chapter 3: The Team Unites

**Author's Note:** I will be at University for the majority of next week so I hope you bear with me as updates will be becoming less frequent in the upcoming weeks.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **Optima99, Synismysin** and **Dream Lighting** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Ava winced as she witnessed Kevin accidentally hit Mike in the shoulder during training that morning. She was sitting cross-legged on the porch watching the others, except for Jayden, practice with their partners, while Jayden observed them and her father instructed them as he paced behind her.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

Mike nodded as he rubbed his shoulder. "Of course,"

"Get inside our opponents head," Jayden instructed. "Use your instincts to sense their next move and feel their attack coming!" he swung his training sword around at Kevin, who ducked to avoid it; swinging the sword around again, Jayden aimed for Kevin's chest, but missed and hit Mike in the other shoulder as Kevin ducked backwards.

Ava flinched as Mike grunted in pain. She knew how he felt; Jayden always caught her off guard with his attacks too.

"Mike, always keep your guard up!" Jayden scolded.

"Mike," Ji said addressing the Green ranger, "Let me ask you something..."

Mike, turning his attention to his mentor, failed to notice Jayden's attack before it was too late. He groaned as the training sword hit him once more. "Hey, no fair," he whined. "You distracted me!"

Jayden shrugged, half-heartedly.

"OK, I get it," Mike nodded. "Let me try again! One more time!"

He turned to face Jayden who prepared for the next attack, he swiftly pulled the sword through the air, aiming for Mike's feet, the Green ranger, however, pushed off from the ground, sprung over the staff and landed, before Jayden struck him in the back of the legs.

"Now watch this," Jayden said, swinging his staff around at Kevin, who ducked to avoid it again. The training went on for a few more minutes, during which time Ava noticed Mike pull away from the group.

"Aw, Mike," she cooed, jumping up and slipping away unnoticed. She met up with the Green ranger on the other side of the house. "Going somewhere?" she asked.

Mike stopped. "I can't do this," he said. "I have to clear my head!"

"Dad won't be happy if you leave," Ava said. "We're supposed to stay away from our friends and family. Remember?"

"I need familiar surroundings to calm down," Mike pointed out, heading for the gates. "My friends will find me, not the other way around, I can't push them away, Ava."

"What you going to tell them?"

Mike shrugged. "I'll think of something. What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"I noticed you're not training with the rest of them," Mike said.

"Because I'd make a total idiot of myself if I tried," Ava nodded. "I tend to do my training in the night, where no one can see me."

Mike nodded. "Well, do you wanna come with me?" he asked. "It's better than hanging around here all by yourself."

"I can't," Ava murmured. "I've never been outside the gates alone before."

"You're not alone," Mike smiled. "You're with me. C'mon, nothing bad's gonna happen."

Ava chewed her lower lip, glanced over her shoulder at the house, before turning back to Mike. He had a point; she wasn't going to be alone. "OK," she nodded, running to catch up with him as he headed for the gates.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Look, I know how you feel," Ava said as she walked with Mike towards the arcade; he still found it impossible to believe that she had never stepped foot outside of the Shiba house in the last couple of years of her life, unless, of course, she was accompanied by her father and Jayden, he also couldn't believe she had never been to an arcade before. "Jayden always catches me off guard with his attacks too."

"But Kevin seems to be able to read his mind," Mike said. "I could never be as good as them."

"Why are you trying to be as good as them?" Ava asked. "We all learn at our own level. I could never train at Jayden's level, it would kill me! I have trouble training at my own level as it is, without worrying about what Jayden and Kevin are doing. Emily and Mia are also at a higher level than I am, but you don't hear me complaining."

Mike sighed. "But Kevin and Jayden are the best!" he pointed out. "They out shine us all. It's nerve-wracking!"

Ava smiled. "I think you're trying too hard, Mike," she said. "You're trying to be something you're not, and you can't do that, trying to be Jayden or Kevin is not going to make any difference whatsoever. Besides, I don't need another leader around the house."

"Oh, I'd never change personality wise that is," Mike nodded as he pushed open the door to the arcade. "I just wish to improve on my skills - hey, why don't you and I train together? Since we both seem be on the same page and level, what do you say?"

"I say," Ava giggled. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea!"

"Awesome!" Mike grinned. "C'mon, I'll show you how to sense an attack!" he said, leading her over to his all-time favourite game in the whole arcade.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ji scowled as he reached the living room, he had searched the entire Shiba house thoroughly, even checking the bedrooms through three times, but no matter where or how many times he looked, he simply could not find Ava anywhere. "Jayden," he breathed, spotting the Red ranger, normally wherever Jayden was Ava wasn't that far behind. "Have you seen either Ava or Mike?" he asked.

"No, what's going on?" Jayden asked.

"No one has seen either of them since they left training this morning," Ji answered.

Jayden frowned. "Are you sure Ava's with him?" he asked.

"She's not anywhere in the house," Ji shrugged. "I've searched everywhere and she can't have just disappeared."

"But it's not like her to leave," Jayden pondered aloud.

"I know," Ji nodded. "I just hope she is with Mike and hasn't wandered off alone."

Jayden nodded and glanced own at the Foldingzord. What was going on with Ava lately?

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Ninjas?"

"Yeah! They are so cool!"

"But we're Samurai,"

Mike smirked and looked away from the game screen for a split second. Ava was standing at his shoulder, frowning as his Ninja battled against a Grizzly bear. "C'mere," he said taking a step back and positioning her at the front. "I'll teach you!"

He adjusted her hands on the console and hit 'start'.

Ava yelped as the game started, and the Grizzly bear pawed at her Ninja. "Now what do I do?" she asked, failing to understand the concept of the game.

Mike chuckled and leaned in close, maneuvering her hands over the console and helping her through the level. His chuckle turned into a light laugh as the Grizzly keeled over as the words 'super hit' flashed across the screen, whilst Ava spun around and hugged him.

"Wow, Mike, you're really great teacher!" she praised.

"Now try it yourself," Mike smiled as she let him go and turned back to the game. Undeniably, he couldn't help but find it a little cute how excited she seemed to get over the smallest of things, and how she would whine whenever her players lost a life.

"Stupid bear!" Ava pouted as the words 'Game Over' flashed for fourth time on the screen.

Mike feigned hurt. "Hey, Bear zord takes offence to that," he said, holding up his Foldingzord.

"Not that bear," Ava giggled. "He's kinda cute."

"Hey, Mike,"

Ava frowned and looked around as someone called out to the Green ranger; she spotted two boys making their way towards them. One was tall, skinny, kid with a mop of messy brown hair, while the other was a short, stocky kid, with long black hair.

"Hey," Mike laughed as he greeted them. "Guys, this is Ava. Av, this is Reese and Matthew."

Ava waved, awkwardly, and seemed to hide behind Mike at the arrival of the two newcomers. She didn't take to strangers very well, and while they weren't really strangers to Mike, they were to her; after all, she was still getting used to Mike's arrival in her life.

Matthew and Reese nodded at her, before turning their attention back to the Green Ranger.

"So, Mike, where've you been?" the short, stocky, kid asked. "You're not at school, you're never home, and you even missed graduation."

"It is kind of a long story," Mike sighed, glancing subtly at Ava, although she wasn't really paying that much attention now that the guys had shown up. Instead she was looking down around the arcade, and fiddling with something inside her pocket. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was nervous.

"C'mon, dude," said the tall, skinny kid. "Tell us!"

"How can I explain?" Mike muttered, catching Ava by the hand and tugging her in the direction of the exit, his friends following at a rapid pace.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Curled up on the plastic chair outside the Mall, Ava munched happily on a Raspberry Ripple ice cream, while Mike had a catch up with his friends.

"I joined this really great team," he was saying. "But they're all so talented. It's intimidating!"

"Oh, c'mon, don't sweat it!" Reese praised. "You're the best gamer around. You always read the games moves and then you drop some... some creative smack down on them!" he grinned.

Ava couldn't help the giggle that escaped her.

"I can't sense an attack like Kevin," Mike sighed.

"Who's Kevin?" Matthew asked.

"I won't go back until I've mastered this technique," Mike sighed. "Although you -" he turned to Ava, "have to go back! I bet Jayden and Ji are going mental looking for you."

Ava cast her gaze down. "Don't remind me," she mumbled. "I'll be lucky if they don't ground me for week after this."

"Whose Jayden and Ji?" Reese asked, glancing between the two Rangers.

"My best friend and father," Ava answered.

"And they'll ground you for leaving the house?" Matthew frowned.

"I'm not _supposed_ to leave the house," Ava stressed. "It's against the rules."

Matthew and Reese exchanged looks.

"Where do you live?" Reese asked. "What kind of person isn't allowed to leave their house?"

Ava shrugged.

"Me." she said, simply.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Screams echoed far and wide as people started running in the opposite direction to where they were going; Ava looked up and gasped as she spotted a Nighlok, with super stretchy arms, causing terror and mayhem a few feet away.

"Mike!" she breathed her eyes wide.

"I see him, Ava," Mike nodded jumping to his feet.

"What is that?" Reese screeched.

"A Nighlok," Mike answered, without thinking.

"Ni - what?" Matthew asked.

"Nighlok!" Mike snapped, frustrated. "The monsters I was telling you about!"

Terrified at the prospect of there being another monster on the loose, Reese and Matthew sprang to their feet and ran, just like everyone else, in the opposite direction. Mike and Ava, however, remained standing, firmly in the path of the new Nighlok monster.

"Mike, we have to help those people!" Ava said, pointing at the innocents that had become trapped by the monsters freakishly long arms.

Mike nodded and reached for his morpher.

"Let's go!" he said, running ahead of Ava.

"Mike!" Reese and Matthew yelled from behind, they tried to chase after their friend, but Ava held them back.

"You have to get out of here!" she said. "It's not safe!"

"But Mike -?"

"I'll get him!" Ava promised. "Now go!"

Reese and Matthew hesitated, before stumbling away as Ava pushed them again.

"Go!" she said, trying to sound a little more forceful.

Finally, Reese and Matthew took off, leaving Ava to turn back to the monster at hand. Mike had already morphed into his Green ranger status and was taking a beating as presumed.

"Mike!" Ava cried as her team-mate was taken by surprise as one of the monsters fists flew up through the pavement beneath his feet and propelled him backwards through the air. "Go, Go Samurai!" she yelled, bringing up her Samuraizer and drawing her symbol in the air, she slashed her morpher through it to activate it.

"Get back!" the Nighlok ordered, as his hands struck the pavement again, disappeared and then re-appeared, pounding into Ava's body and knocking her backwards. She hit the ground behind Mike and rolled over onto her stomach, her suit disappearing the second she landed.

"Ava!" Mike yelled pushing himself up and running to her side. "You OK?"

Ava shook her head and blinked back the stars that appeared. "What happened?" she asked, wincing slight as a sharp pain shot through her arm.

"I just delivered you a knuckle sandwich," the Nighlok answered. "You still hungry? Because here comes a second helping."

"Second helping?" Mike murmured, as he helped Ava back to her feet. She was clutching her right wrist close to her chest, and he feared she may have sustained some serious damage. Ji and Jayden were going to kill him. "What does that mean?"

The ground exploded as the Nighlok's arm burst out of it, hitting both rangers again and knocking them backwards. Ava screamed as tears stung her eyes at the pain that shot through her arm this time, while Mike grunted at his inability to sense the next attack.

"I'm as cool as an iceberg," the Nighlok chanted. "But I sting like a bee. It's tough to stop what you can't see!"

"Ava," Mike said, propping the White ranger up against the wall. "Stay here. I'll draw him away."

"No, Mike -" Ava shouted after him.

Leaping away from his injured friend, Mike landed on the rooftop of a near-by building.

"Already tired of my underground fight club?" the monster called. "Then I guess I better take it to new heights!"

He pounded his fists into the earth once more.

"What? There is no way he can reach me up here!" Mike said, before he was knocked completely off of the roof. He landed, on his back, in front of Ava.

"Mike!"

"I may be down," Mike said, stubbornly. "But I am definitely not out..."

"Now all there is left to do, is to put you two in the dumpster," the Nighlok threatened.

Tears of pain stung Ava's eyes as fear coursed through her veins, not once in her life had she felt such liability.

She closed her eyes against the pain, cursing her decision to follow Mike away from her home, granted she had had fun at the arcade, learned a few new things that she would never had learned had she not met Mike in the first place, but now she wanted to be back in the safety of the Shiba house and the comfort of both Jayden and her father.

"That's enough!"

Ava's eyes snapped open and she breathed a sigh of relief as Jayden landed in front of her and Mike, holding the monster off with his Spin sword.

"Arm stretch!" the Nighlok yelled, plunging his hands into the pavement again.

"Jayden, look out!" Ava shouted as she knew what was coming. Jayden, however, failed to heed her warning, if you could call it that, and was knocked backwards when the Nighlok's hands burst out of the ground beneath him, and caught him, right in the chest.

He groaned as he hit the ground in front of her.

"Jayden!" Mike yelled, as Ava, using her uninjured hand, slid across the pavement towards her best friend.

"Even the Red ranger can't see what's going on underground," the Nighlok laughed, as Mia, Kevin and Emily finally arrived. Ava felt Mia's hands on her shoulders, as Kevin lightly touched her injured wrist.

"Oh, wow," Mia gasped as she saw the swelling in Ava's wrist. "Are you guys OK?"

Jayden nodded.

"Sure. Now, let's take this creep!" he said, referring to the Nighlok.

"Uh, oh," the Nighlok grumbled. "Looks like i'm starting to dry out. I guess I'd better punch out for now! Later, Rangers," he hissed, disappearing into a gap between a bench and the pavement.

Ava sighed and lowered her gaze as she got back to her feet, she could already sense Jayden's disappointment and knew that he was holding back in front of the others; but she also knew that the bigger punishment was waiting for her at home.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"It was lucky you were there," Ji nodded as he finished bandaging Ava's wrist. There wasn't any serious damage done, she hadn't broken any bones, but there was a rapid swelling, which meant that there was a chance she had torn a ligament. "You stopped that Nighlok from injuring lots of people!"

"We came as soon as we heard," Jayden added.

"I thought I could take him alone," Mike admitted. "I should never have put you in danger, Ava, I'm sorry!"

Ava shook her head. "You didn't put me in danger," she said. "I got distracted. I was more preoccupied with keeping your friends safe that I forgot about my own safety, so when I tried to help you, he took me by surprise."

"Mike, being a Samurai is the ultimate sacrifice. Since we are fighting evil it is important that you stay away from you friends and family," said Jayden as he took a seat in front of the Green Ranger, casting a glance in Ava's direction.

"I know that now," Mike nodded. "But I at least have to go check on my friends," he pushed himself steadily to his feet and turned to Ava. "Do you want to come?" He asked.

Jayden tensed and turned to face Ava. Would she go?

Hesitating, Ava glanced at Jayden and then up at her father, he had been giving her a stern look since she had returned with the others it was obvious he was upset with her leaving the house alone, even though he knew that she wasn't truly alone.

"No," she answered Mike. "I'll stay here. See you when you get back."

Mike nodded and headed out.

While Mike headed out, Ava excused herself, or at least, tried to excuse herself.

"Ava," Ji called stopping her short of the door. "I'm highly disappointed in you. You know the rules..."

Ava nodded. "Do not leave the house alone," she recited. "I know. But I wasn't alone, Daddy, I was with Mike."

"And look what happened," Jayden said, referring to her bandaged wrist. "What if it had been worse?"

"I get it," Ava whispered turning to him, her eyes full of tears. Jayden felt his heart sink as her eyes swam with tears, and he couldn't help but blame himself for them. "I screwed up! I'm sorry," she murmured turning away and leaving the room as quick as she possibly could.

"Ava," Mia sighed as Emily followed the White ranger from the room. They already shared a bond of friendship and she wanted to make sure that her new friend was OK.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

She didn't even look up as the footsteps approached, she knew it was him. It was, after all, only supposed to be them out here at this time of the night.

"Here" he said, covering her shoulders with a thick blanket.

"Thanks," Ava purred, pulling the blanket closer with her free hand. She glanced down at the cast covered wrist and then looked up at the night sky. She was supposed to have been using this time to train, but seeing as she was hurt, even Jayden refused to spar with her.

A comfortable silence washed over them, and, for a split second, it felt like old times. It felt like it used to _before_ the Nighlok's, _before_ the team had assembled, _before_ everything had changed. But despite the comfortable silence between them, Ava knew that there was something that he needed to get off his chest.

"Say it," she said, breaking the silence. "I know you want too."

"There's nothing to say, Ava," Jayden said.

"That's a total lie," Ava scoffed. "I may not be able to read your mind, Jayden, but I know what you're thinking. Why did I do it, yeah? Why did I break daddy's rules and go off on my own?" she paused, when he said nothing, she continued. "Well, I didn't go off alone, I was with Mike. I was perfectly safe."

Jayden scoffed. "Yeah, it looks it too," he said, cynically.

"This wasn't Mike's fault," Ava defended. "I told you what happened. I lost focus; I was more preoccupied on getting Matthew and Reese to safety -"

"Who?" Jayden asked, quickly.

"Matthew and Reese," Ava repeated. "They're Mike's friends. They wanted to help him, but I promised them that'd he'd be OK; it was the only way that I could get them to leave. As soon as they were gone -"

"You're on a first name bases with Mike's friends?" Jayden interrupted, for some reason he couldn't help but feel jealous that two complete strangers were on talking terms, let alone first name bases, with his best friend, and furthermore he couldn't help but hate Mike a bit for taking Ava away today. What had happened between them to make them so close? To make it seem OK to Mike to introduce her to his life outside of the Samurai lifestyle?

Ava frowned.

"What would you rather I call them?" she asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "They're Mike's friends, not yours, why can't you just call them his friends?"

"Because it is the tendency to get someone's name when you meet them," Ava pointed out. "Mike introduced us when they found us at the Arcade; it would have been rude of him to just completely blank me after they had turned up. He put me first in everything, Jayden, he taught me a few things too."

"Like how to hurt yourself?" Jayden scoffed.

Ava glared at him. "What's the matter with you?" she shouted, jumping up and rounding on him. "Why are you acting so... so..."

"So what?" Jayden asked, glaring up at her.

"So _jealous_!" Ava snapped. "Are you afraid that now we have four more Samurai at home I'm going to replace you as my best friend?"

Jayden shook his head and pushed himself up so that he towered over her. "I'm not jealous," he said. "Why would I be jealous? Because you're spending all your time with Emily? Because you left the house today to spend the day with Mike?"

"I can have more than one friend, Jayden, and Mike just happens to be my friend! I had fun today, out in the city; I haven't had fun in a long time, at least not since the Nighlok's started getting stronger."

"That's not my fault!"

"I didn't say it was!" Ava yelled. "It's just, ever since the Nighlok have gotten stronger, and the team has moved in, you've changed!"

"I haven't changed..."

Ava scoffed and looked away, blinking back the tears. "Yeah, you have," she murmured. "My Jayden knows how to have fun..."

"I still have fun -"

"My Jayden knows when to be serious!" Ava ploughed on, acting as if she had not heard him. "My Jayden doesn't make himself sick anymore by burying himself in his work. He knows that the fate of the planet is at stake, but he also knows when to take a break and have a little fun with his friends."

Jayden sighed. How could he explain to her that there was no time for fun anymore? At least not now that Xandred has returned. Maybe after they had defeated the Nighlok they could go back to being normal, but now there was work to be done and it was time to grow up. How could he explain all that without hurting her?

"Ever since the others have arrived," Ava continued, breaking through his thoughts. "You've spent more time training and less time with me. You don't even talk to me anymore, not unless it's about training or you need a sparring partner. All it ever is these day is work, work, work... you're pushing yourself too hard!"

"Ava," said Jayden, grabbing her wrists a little more forcefully than he intended. "Listen to me! We are not kids anymore! The time for fun and games is over, you have to work harder than ever before..."

"Let go!" Ava struggled.

"No, not until you listen to me!"

But as Ava continued to struggle, Jayden's grip only tightened, causing her to wince under the pressure.

"You're hurting me!" Ava whimpered.

Looking down, Jayden gasped and quickly released her.

Ava stumbled backwards, tripped over her own two feet and hit the ground, hard.

"Av," Jayden whispered, stooping down to help her up. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

He touched her shoulder only for her to recoil away from him. "Don't..." she said, staring up at him, terrified. "I'll just -" and before she could finish, Ava pushed herself quickly to her feet, and took off into the house in search of the others.

Jayden watched her go, before turning angrily, and punching the nearest training dummy has hard as he could. What was happening between him and Ava? And was she right to assume and accuse him of being jealous?

He shook his head, and turned away from the dummy, while initially he had come out here to train he had got a bit carried away when he had seen Ava, but now he needed to clear his mind and focus on something other than his best friend and the new feelings he was experiencing whenever she was around.

_**I'm not jealous**_, he told himself, as he wielded the Katana blades in his hands.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

People screamed as several moogers and the Nighlok, Rofer, returned to the human world through a crack in the pavement.

"Ah, yes," Rofer laughed. "You think you can run away, but I gotcha!" He extended his arms and wrapped them around several people, pulling them back into a tight embrace. "Believe me; you are better off dealing with me than Master Xandred! C'mon, group hug!"

Still screaming, hysterically, the men and women Rofer had captured fell to the ground as he released them.

"Hey, Nighlok!" Jayden shouted as he and the others, save for Mike, arrived on scene.

"Punching bags," Rofer growled. "You're back!"

"Samuraizer!" Jayden yelled holding out his morpher.

"Go, Go Samurai!"

Once morphed, each ranger prepared his or her spin sword, and turned to face Rofer.

"Samurai Ranger, Ready!" they chanted. "Ranger's together, Samurai forever!"

"Hey, where's your Green ranger, buddy," Rofer probed. "Now that it's crunch time broccoli-boy went bye-bye!"

"Mike wouldn't just run away!" Ava defended. "He knows the importance of being a Samurai! He's a good Ranger!"

Rofer laughed at her. "He got hurt trying to defeat me last time; he even put the smallest of Samurai's in danger. Why don't you reconsider playing with the big boys?"

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Mike shouted as he ran up to his friends.

"Mike," Ava smiled. "Where've you been all night?"

"Look out," Mike said. "I'm gonna take this Nighlok alone."

"You can't!" Kevin protested.

"I'm gonna try!" Mike argued. "It's payback time! Samuraizer! Go, Go Samurai!"

He drew his symbol in the air and activated it, morphing into his Green ranger form within seconds.

"Samurai Ranger, ready!" he announced drawing his Spin sword.

"Attack, Moogers!" Rofer ordered. "Go get your daily greens!"

"I got some new moves," Mike said as he cut through the Moogers. "To go with my Samurai groove!"

Ava teetered nervously on the balls of her feet as she watched Mike attack the Moogers. "Mike," she murmured, fretfully.

"What is he doing?" Kevin grumbled.

"C'mon," Jayden instructed. "Let's help him!"

Mia and Emily nodded. "Yeah!" they agreed, darting towards the sea of Moogers. Kevin followed them initially while Ava hung back. Her father had already tried to stop her from coming with the others when the Gap Sensor went off alerting them to Rofer's presence in the human world, the only reason she was here was because she had told him that her wrist was feeling better than it had done yesterday.

But that had been a complete lie, her wrist wasn't as pain free has it had been yesterday morning, before she had been attacked, in all honesty it hurt every time she moved it. How could she go into battle and hide the fact that her wrist was still painful? If Jayden saw that she had lied he'd send her home without fail, and the fact that they weren't on speaking terms did not help in her favour.

Nevertheless what could she do? She had to help; it had been her destiny to be a ranger, so she couldn't back down just because of a minor injury.

"Spin sword!" she yelled, wielding the blade in her hands. "Blizzard blast!"

Swirls of white energy spiraled around her blade, before targeting the Moogers as Ava swung it around her head and slashed down through the group that had charged at her, probably hoping to deal with her while she was motionless and lost in thought. She really needed to learn to concentrate and not allow herself to become distracted.

With the Moogers out of the way, Ava set her sights on Rofer; he was on the opposite side of the street pounding Mike into dust.

"Mike!" Ava yelled, blasting past the rest of her friends and leaping at Rofer. She slashed down with her spin sword and knocked him away from the Green ranger. "Are you OK?"

"You little pest!" Rofer snarled punching Ava in the stomach and knocking her out of the way. The White ranger gasped as she felt the air expel from her lungs, leaving her winded.

"I said leave her alone!" Mike shouted.

Rofer snarled and charged at Mike. "You're about to develop a case of fist-a-phobia!" he said between punches, he caught Mike in the stomach and threw him over his shoulder. "Have a nice flight?" he growled.

"Bring it on, long arms!" Mike challenged.

"You're asking for it! Arm stretch!"

Punching his way through the ground, Rofer aimed another attack at Mike; however, the second the Nighlok's arms burst through the ground, Mike took off at a run.

"Your arms are not fast enough to get me, are they?" Mike shouted over his shoulder.

"So your strategy is running away?" Rofer asked. "If that would work!"

"Looks like it's working so far,"

Ava winced as she got back to her feet. "What is he doing?" she asked no one in particular, but was vaguely aware that Jayden and the others had joined her.

"You should never play in traffic," Rofer chided. "But go ahead and run, because you can't run away from my long distance fists! It's just a matter of time before I clock ya!"

"What?" Mia frowned glancing at Emily from the corner of her eye.

What the hell was Mike playing at?

"Your attack is losing its punch," Mike teased. "All you're doing is wrecking some concrete."

"Where did he go?" Kevin asked, looking around for his team-mate, but Mike was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, Nighlok,"

Spinning around the rangers spotted Mike arrive behind them.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, addressing Rofer.

Rofer snarled as he turned to face the Green ranger. "Maybe! But I won't miss you this time!" he said. The ground shook underfoot and one of Rofer's arms shout out from the ground, Mike froze, before the first was deflected by Jayden, who seemed to come from nowhere.

"Whoa!" Mia, Kevin, Emily and Ava exclaimed. They hadn't noticed Jayden's disappearance until now.

"I got it!" Jayden said, straining against the force of the fist.

"Jayden!"

"So he stopped one punch," Rofer shrugged. "But I've got two arms!"

The second fists burst out of the ground, hitting Jayden in the stomach and knocking both him and Mike aside.

Ava's breath caught in her chest as Jayden was smashed into a cement wall. "No!" she whispered, fearing that he had been hurt a lot more than expected.

"Jayden, are you OK?" Mike asked. "I'll take him out!" he added darting at Rofer as the two fists followed. Bursting out of the ground the two fists aimed for Mike, but hit Rofer as the Green ranger jumped over the Nighlok just in time.

With a snarl of fury, Rofer retracted his arms only to find that he had fallen, unconsciously, for Mike's trick.

"Hey, what's up with my arms?" he roared. "They're all tangled up!"

"Time to give you a taste of my spin sword," Mike nodded. "Spin sword! Forest vortex!"

Rofer growled. "Wait until I get my hands on you!" he yelled, just before Mike slashed through him with his energized sword. He rippled with masses of energy before keeling over and exploding.

"Yeah!" Ava cheered pulling away from Kevin and running over to Mike. "You fought him on your own level and won, Mike, you did it!"

Mike smiled, self-consciously.

"I guess I did!" he agreed.

"You were amazing!" Emily commended joining them.

"I guess you did OK," Kevin sighed as he approached from behind Emily.

Mike scoffed and hit the Blue ranger in the shoulder with his spin sword.

"Lighten up, Kevin," Mia scolded. "After all Mike did defeat that Nighlok."

"Yeah," Mike agreed.

"Nice job," Mia praised.

"Thanks," Mike smiled as Ava squeezed his arm, energetically.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava giggled as she walked arm-in-arm with Emily through the gates of the Shiba house, ahead of them were Mia and Kevin, talking in quiet whispers, although Emily and Ava were giggling about how much of a cute couple the Pink and Blue rangers made, ahead of the group of six, leading them towards the house, was Mike and Jayden.

Neither of the Green and Red rangers was speaking, but they could hear the quiet giggles from the youngest two in the back, and were left silently wondering what the fuss was all about.

Glancing over his shoulder, Jayden couldn't help but scowl at the way Ava's face lit up when she laughed, granted that was one the best things about Ava, but he couldn't help the pang of jealousy as he realized that it was not _him_ that was making her laugh. _He_ was not the reason for her smile.

With a heavy sigh, Jayden shook his head and returned his attention to where he was going. He pushed open the main doors of his childhood home and led the others inside, patting Mike on the shoulder as they turned into the living room.

"Good work today, Mike," he applauded.

"Yeah," Kevin agreed. "You were great!"

"The way you tricked that Nighlok was beyond creative," Mia praised.

"It was so cool the way you used those wacky arms against him," Emily laughed, earning giggles and chuckles from the rest of the team.

Kevin patted Mike's shoulders. "Yeah, I couldn't have done it better myself!" he nodded.

Ava's eyes lit up as she pounced onto Mike's back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist to keep herself from falling off. "Did you hear that, Mike?" she grinned. "You did something better than Kevin for once!"

"Hey," Kevin pouted, reaching out to mess up Ava's hair.

"Well, the truth is," Mike sighed, "I did trick him, but it wasn't enough..."

"What do you mean?" Ava frowned. "You anticipated his attack and used it against him."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, I know, but I only anticipated the attack of one of his arms," he explained. "Jayden got the other one, he helped me destroy him."

Ava smiled as she realized he was right.

"I couldn't have done it without him," Mike finished.

"We can do anything as a team," Jayden said, holding his hand out in front of him. The others smiled and rested their hands on top of his.

Mike considered his Red ranger for a split second, as Ava pouted from his shoulder.

"Oi," she said, flicking his ear. "Would you make up your mind!" she pouted, as she tried to place her hand on top of Kevin's but kept coming up short. "I can't reach!"

The others sniggered at the look that crossed Mike's face and the innocent smile that adorned Ava's features as the Green ranger directed the look at her.

Finally, Mike turned back to the others and placed his hand on top of Kevin's, while Ava leaned over his shoulder and put hers on top of his.

"Rangers together," the team of six chanted, "Samurai forever!"

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 9:20pm**


	4. Chapter 4: Deal With a Nighlok

**Author's Note:** Now this was fun to write. Plus, it took my mind off of a very crappy night. Nothing has gone right for me… except maybe this chapter. Anyway, let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **CamaroDude1989, Lizard1969, Cosmos Angel and Yami Chaos** and** Bethhh** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Ava giggled as she tiptoed into Jayden's bedroom that morning. She had been up for the last quarter of an hour and demolished half, if not all, the cookies her father had made the previous afternoon. He should have hidden them in a better place than the cupboard; did he seriously think that she would sleep in while she knew there were chocolate chip cookies in the house?

Creeping closer to the Red ranger's bed, Ava smothered her giggles in her hands as she took hold of his blanket and yanked it off of him. Jayden groaned in his sleep, rolled over and muttered something indescribable, causing Ava's giggles to come hard and fast.

"Jayden," she whispered, testing the boundaries. It was only half five, she knew that in half an hour Jayden's alarm would be going off, it had done, every morning, like clockwork, for years, but her whisper was rewarded with nothing from the Red ranger.

Ava pouted and threw the blankets that were still in her hands to the floor. She hated being ignored.

"Jayden," she hissed. "Do not pretend you are sleeping, Ranger boy! I know you can hear me!"

Again, Jayden did not answer her.

Getting frustrated with his lack of response, Ava decided on another approach. She _knew_ that he could hear her; Jayden was a heavy sleeper, yes, but not _this_ heavy! He was like Kevin. _Anything_ could wake him. A pin dropping in the dead of night would wake up both Jayden and Kevin, while the rest of the house slept peacefully.

Carefully she climbed onto the bed, straddling his hips, and leaned forward so that her arms were folded on his chest. She grinned, her face inches away from his, and a familiar memory of how many times she had freaked him out by staring at him while he slept, popped to mind.

Ava couldn't help the quiet giggles that escaped her lips.

"Jaaaaaayden!" she giggled.

Suddenly, and unexpectedly, Jayden's arms rose up from the bed and caught her around the middle, as he rolled over, effectively trapping her between him, the bed and the paper thin wall. Ava giggled and struggled in his arms.

"Stop moving!" he muttered.

"Aha! I knew you were awake!" Ava said, punching him lightly in the chest.

"Course i'm awake," Jayden nodded, dipping his head and burying it in the nook between her shoulder and her neck. "It is kinda hard to sleep when I got you pouncing on me early hours of the morning! What you doing up so early?"

"Daddy made cookies," Ava grinned burying her face into his chest.

Jayden groaned. "Oh no,"

"Oh yes!" Ava giggled. "Sugar! Sugar! Sugar! I'm gonna scare Mike and maybe wake Emily so we can have cookies together!"

She jumped up from the bed and made a mad dash for the door, she would have made it, had it not been for Jayden's quick reflexes. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he hauled her over his shoulder, carrying her back to his bed. "Sleep," he ordered, throwing her down onto the mattress, and climbing in beside her.

He grabbed the blankets from the floor and pulled them over them both, switching his alarm off in the process. He knew that with Ava so hyped up off of cookies, he would not be waking up at his normal hour to start training.

"Me no sleepy," Ava muttered as she snuggled closer to him.

Jayden sighed.

"Count sheep," he yawned, rubbing his eyes with one hand and wrapping the other around her, pulling her closer.

"Tell me story," she insisted.

"What story?"

"The Samurai..."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Later that morning, during training, Ava was still as bouncy as ever.

Jayden shot Ji a sour look as the White ranger sparred with Mia. Normally, without the cookies, Ava would sit on the sidelines and watch the others train, making notes on things that she could use during her own training. The only reason she was paired with Mia and not Mike was because the Green ranger was practicing his sealing symbol powers a few feet away.

"Ha!" Mia said slicing the air with her sword.

Ava brought up her own sword and clashed it against Mia's.

"Ha!" Ava said, remembering her training the previous evening. Jayden had blocked her attack and then aimed a hit for her stomach; he had taken her by surprise as she jumped backwards, to avoid the collision, before he had aimed a hit for legs and swept them out from under her.

Mia jumped up over the wooden sword and swung at Ava again, causing the younger girl to duck down, to avoid her head being taken off.

"Ava is learning well," Ji nodded proudly as he watched his daughter spar. "Or is it the sugar?"

"I think it's the sugar," Jayden nodded, although he had to admit he was impressed with the progress his friend was showing.

Ji chuckled.

"I'll hide the cookies before lunch," he promised.

"How about hiding them before bed," Jayden suggested. "Half past five this morning she was in with me..."

"I heard," Ji nodded. "Apparently Kevin was surprised to find her with you."

"Don't remind me," Jayden muttered. He had tried his hardest to play the emotionless team-leader in front of the others, but it was impossible to ignore Ava, and the new feelings he had for her, for too long. Even if the others did depend on him, he couldn't ignore the ball of energy that was his best friend. She always managed to weave her way under his skin.

Mia groaned as she hit the ground on her knees; whilst Ava stood over her, bouncing on the balls of her feet and clapping her hands, energetically, as she _finally_ managed to floor someone on a higher level than her.

"I did it!" Ava giggled. "Did you see, Daddy? I did it! I beat Mia!"

"I saw," Ji nodded, smiling down at her. "Well done. You progress nicely every day."

Ava smiled and turned back to Mia, held out her hand and pulled the Pink ranger to her feet, just as Mike let out a happy yell from the otherside of the garden. Turning to face her friend, Ava smiled as she watched leaves fly up from the paper, and flutter around the Green ranger.

"You did!" she cheered, racing forward and hugging him. "I knew you could do it!"

"Well, a wise Samurai once told me," Mike smirked. "That practice makes perfect!"

Ava rolled her eyes. "I told you that," she nodded, shoving him playfully, and turning to Kevin who had just approached them both.

"Hey, Mike," Kevin said, patting the Green ranger on the shoulder. "I know how hard you've been working on your symbol power. It took me years to master them, if you ever need to talk, i'm here for you. You too, Ava," he added, ruffling the White ranger's hair. "If you ever need a sparring partner, just give me a shout, OK?"

"Yeah," Ava nodded, slightly freaked out by his change in personality. Normally, Kevin reminded her of Jayden, only slightly more intimidating. "I don't need any more sparring partners, but thanks for the offer; I'll keep it in mind."

Kevin nodded, turned away, and hurried towards Mia.

Mike frowned and exchanged a look with Ava.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"What you looking at me for?" Ava asked. "He's your roommate."

"He's your house mate," Mike retorted, following her over towards Jayden and Mentor.

"Yeah, but you see him more than I do," Ava added.

Mike frowned. "Ava, we live in the same house! How could I possibly see him more than you do?" he asked.

"Well, Emily lives in the same house too," Ava pointed out. "And I see her more than you do!"

"Yeah, but girls stick together,"

Ava cocked her head to the side, viewing him from a different angle.

"And guys don't?" she challenged.

"No more sugar for you," he said, pointing his paintbrush at her.

"Party pooper!" Ava pouted, folding her arms in protest.

Mike blinked and shook his head, as he turned back to Kevin who ducked backwards to avoid a kick to the face from Mia. "But seriously what is going on with him?" he asked, turning to Mentor and Jayden. "Why is he so worried about everyone?"

"I don't know," Ji nodded. "He has been like that since yesterday."

"As long as he doesn't ask to be my sparring partner, I'm good," Ava nodded, turning back to the house. "I get beaten enough as it is!"

"You just beat Mia," Mike pointed out.

Ava paused in the doorway and glanced over her shoulder at him. "She let me win," she said, simply, before disappearing into the kitchen.

"She did?" Mike frowned, looking at Jayden.

The Red ranger nodded his head in confirmation and turned back to Kevin who was, once again, fussing over Emily.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Emily smiled as she and Ava sat cross-legged in the yard. They had just finished their symbol powers and created a mixture between a snowstorm and a sandstorm, resulting in the both being covered head to foot in frozen snow and then plastered with snow.

Now, they were entertaining themselves by interacting with a stray cat that had wandered into the yard.

"I didn't know you had a cat," Emily said.

"I don't," Ava said, shaking her head. "She's the neighborhood stray. Been coming around here for years, I used to play with her all the time, give her treats and all that; Daddy didn't seem to mind, as long as I never brought her in the house."

"Why not?"

Ava shrugged. "He just warned me to never bring the cat indoors," she said. "Something about it getting used to its surroundings and never getting rid of it, not that I'd care, I've always wanted a pet, and now seems like a good enough time."

Emily smiled as the cat walked towards her, its tail flickering through the air. "My sister, Serena, always used to warn me about naming stray animals, she would see me as its mother and that they would automatically come back to me if I named them."

"We should ask daddy for pet," Ava said as the cat jumped up onto her and weaved its way under chin, rubbing its head and body against her face and purring madly. "I mean, we don't have to go out and buy one, we could just keep this one!"

"Sounds awesome!" Emily grinned. "I've had horses, chickens, cows, goats and dogs..." she listed. "I've always wanted a cat."

Ava's eyes widened. She would love living on a farm, surrounded by animals. "I envy you, Em," she admitted. "I'd love living with so many animals. No wonder you're such an animal person. You're like an animal magnet."

Emily giggled. "So are you," she said, pointing at the cat, which was now curled up in Ava's lap, nearly asleep.

All of a sudden, a loud blaring ripped through the air.

"The Gap sensor!" Emily gasped.

"A Nighlok has crossed into our world!" Ava squeaked, picking up the cat and rushing inside with Emily. If her father could see how much she really wanted a pet, maybe, just maybe, he would let her keep the stray that she had been playing with for the last few years; it would also have been better if she could get the others to side with her too: Emily was already on her side.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Rushing into the living room, Emily and Ava skidded to two separate halts beside Jayden and Mike.

"Where is it?" Emily asked.

Ji looked up at her, and spotted the ginger cat in his daughter's arms, he offered her a stern look. She knew better.

Ava pouted and clutched the cat closer to her, she had already bonded with the elegant and furry creature, she didn't want to put it back outside and let it leave again. She wanted a pet.

"The park," Ji answered the Yellow ranger.

"Let's go, Samurai," Jayden said swiveling around and leading the way out of the house.

Mike, Kevin and Mia run off after him, while Emily and Ava made sure that the cat was safe inside the yard before running off, they didn't want to chance the feline getting away before they had a chance to talk to Mentor about adopting it as their own.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"You can really do that?"

"Of course," the Nighlok nodded. "Monsters can do anything."

"You promise?"

"I promise!" the Nighlok said, patiently. "Pinky-finger swear!"

He held out his little finger to the boy sitting at the base of an oak tree, he was wearing a baseball uniform and cap, with a miniature baseball in his hands.

"Hey!"

The Nighlok gasped and looked up as Jayden swooped down at him with his spin sword, momentarily distracted, the Nighlok failed to notice Kevin and Mike ambush him from separate sides while Ava, Emily and Mia rushed to the little boy's side.

"Are you OK?" Mia asked, kneeling in front of the kid.

"Nighlok, what kind of mischief are you up to with this kid?" Jayden grilled, shouldering his spin sword.

"Nothing!" the Nighlok answered. "We're friends, right?" he added, turning to the little boy.

Ava touched the boy's shoulders as he backed away nervously, his breathing coming in short and terrified gasps.

"You're lying!" Ava accused. "He's terrified!"

The Nighlok snarled.

"Back off!" Mike demanded.

"Run away as fast as you can," Emily instructed. The little boy nodded, jumped hastily to his feet and run off towards his bike, which was resting against a wooden bench not too far away, he hopped on it and disappeared from view.

The Nighlok growled. "Stay out of my business!"

"Oh yeah?" Kevin asked, as he, Jayden and Mike charged forward, while Mia, Emily and Ava attacked from behind.

"Hey, didn't I just warn you to mind your business?" the Nighlok hissed as the rangers charged at him, blades drawn. He made quick work of each of them, knocking them aside like rag dolls. "Fighting you rangers is like a walk in the park for me!" he said, kicking Jayden in the chest and rounding on the female trio. "Your turn girls..." he tempted.

Pushing themselves up; Ava, Mia and Emily backed the Nighlok into the trunk of another oak tree.

"As you can see I play well with others," he said, leaning forward as Mia rolled across his back, and pushing Ava up as she aimed a high-kick to his head. The White ranger squeaked and pushed off of the tree to avoid hitting the branch above her; she flipped over and landed on her feet beside Emily. "The fun has just begun!" he said, before leaving them, escaping into a crack in the tree.

Mike sighed. "I think he's planning something real bad," he stated.

"I'm worried about that kid," Mia said. "We need to find him!"

"Right, let's split up and look for him," Jayden nodded.

"Right!" Emily agreed, darting off with Mike.

"Yeah!" Kevin nodded, following Mia.

Ava turned in a circle as her friends brushed past her. "Hey," she whined, shaking her head as the blood rushed to her brain, it was then she realized that Jayden had run off without her. "Wait for me!" she called, chasing after him across the field.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"I don't feel so good," Ava groaned, clutching her stomach and holding a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened and she run off into the trees where Jayden could hear her throwing up the cookies she had scoffed down earlier that morning.

Grimacing, the Red ranger followed her into the undergrowth and rubbed her back. "Are you OK?" he asked. "I told you not to eat so many cookies!"

"Don't say 'I-told-you-so'," Ava grumbled, wiping her mouth on her sleeve and returning to the trail.

"I wasn't going too," Jayden smiled. "Are you sure you're OK?"

"Yes, Jayden," Ava nodded. "I'm fine. Stop being so over protective. It's just a sugar crash. Yuck, now I have that yucky taste in my mouth!"

Jayden chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. "C'mon, let's get you home and remove that yucky taste!" he teased.

"But what about the kid?"

As if on cue, Jayden's Samuraizer sounded from his pocket. He answered it while Ava shuddered at the icky feeling in the pit of her stomach and the taste of bile in her mouth. She felt sick again.

"OK. Keep an eye on him," Jayden said, observing her from the corner of his eye. "I'm taking Ava home, she just threw up half that was in her stomach, and she's still looking a little green."

Ava threw him a bitter look. "Don't tell everyone!" she whined.

"Yeah, I'll tell her," Jayden said to whoever was on the other side of the call. "Just keep as close as possible without freaking him out. We'll keep a look out for the Nighlok. OK."

He hung up.

"Emily and Mike?" Ava asked.

Jayden shook his head. "Mia and Kevin. They found the kid," he explained. "He's safe and at home."

"No sighting of the Nighlok?"

"Not yet," Jayden said.

Ava sighed and turned away.

"What does he want with that kid?" she wondered, loudly. "Kids should be happy and carefree; not terrified to go outside their front door!"

"I know," Jayden agreed, drawing her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "C'mon, let's go home."

Ava nodded, and still with Jayden's arm around her, they returned to the Shiba house.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Emily and Mike paused as they returned to Shiba house. They had been a few minutes away when they had received a call from Ava saying that Mia and Kevin had found the kid and were staking out his house just to be sure that the Nighlok didn't return during the night; she also told them that she and Jayden were heading back home and they should do the same.

"Is that smoke?" Mike asked as he opened the front door and allowed Emily to walk in ahead of him.

"Yeah," Emily nodded, sniffing the air. "It smells like something burning..."

Eyes wide, both Emily and Mike turned to one another. "Kitchen!" they said, simultaneously, pushing open the second set of doors, ahead of them they spotted Jayden and Ava outside the kitchen, and hurried over to them.

"We could smell smoke from outside," Mike said. "What's going on?"

"Mia's cooking," Ava answered. "She just burnt the chicken. If the poor bird wasn't dead before, it sure as hell is now."

Jayden rolled his eyes.

"Ava," he said, swatting her across the back of the head.

"What?" Ava whined, pouting over her shoulder at him. "I'm just saying! There is a reason that Daddy does the cooking around here."

"This happens to be one of those reasons," Emily nodded. "But I can see where Mia is coming from. Kevin's feeling sad, so Mia wants to cheer him up with something a little less fancy, you know?"

"Like burnt chicken?" Ava frowned.

Emily poked Ava in the ribs. "It's the thought that counts," she said, turning away from the door.

"Yeah," Ava nodded as she followed her friend into the living room. "And I, for one, do not envy Kevin tonight."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After Mia had finished cooking Kevin's dinner, she packed a blanket and headed out, leaving the rest of her team behind.

"It'll be like their first date," Emily giggled as she and Ava waved the Pink ranger off, before spotting the ginger cat that they had left behind that morning.

"Oh, he came back!" Ava cooed scooping the cat up and hugging it.

"How do you know it's even a boy?" Emily frowned.

Ava paused. "I don't," she said shaking her head. "You check!" she said, holding the cat out.

"I'm not checking," Emily said, pushing the feline away. "I don't know him all that well! Argh!" she whined as she realized she had called it a boy too.

Ava smirked. "Well i'm not checking! We may be close, but that's just rude!" she said.

"Well we have to know!" Emily said. "We can't just name it without knowing if it is a boy or a girl."

"But then who -?" she broke off, a sly grin edging onto her lips.

Emily eyed her, warily. "What are you -?" she started.

"Jayden is team leader," Ava said.

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "So?"

"He's the big boss guy, right?" Ava asked. Emily nodded. "Everything usually needs to be run by him. Well, if we want a cat, he could our mascot or something, and then we need Jayden's permission for him to join the team."

Emily frowned, confused on where Ava was going with this. "I guess," she nodded, out of humour for her friend. "I still don't see -?"

"Jayden should check!" Ava said. "C'mon, we'll get Jayden and Mike to check whether we have a boy or a girl, while you and I go and pester Daddy about keeping him or her. Deal?"

"As long as I don't have to look under the tail," Emily shrugged.

Ava giggled and caught her friend by the wrist. "You won't have too," she said, tugging her back inside. "Just start thinking of names."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"See," the Nighlok laughed. "I'm all kinds of trouble for you Rangers."

Pounding his fist into the ground, Kevin sighed in defeat. "He's right!" he complained, causing Mia to poking in the ribs.

"Never give up, Kevin," she said. "A Samurai never gives up!"

"Oh no! We're the only sane ones left, Mike," Ava cried, dramatically, as she and the others jumped over their fallen friends and run at the Nighlok with their spin blades. "They've corrupted Mia too!"

Emily pouted. "What about me?" she asked. "I'm sane!"

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "Insane!"

"Am not," Emily whined.

"You want to name our new cat 'Agent Orange'," Ava pointed out. "I'm all for it being his codename if we ever need one, but a full name? No, just no!"

"Meanie!"

Ava stuck her tongue out, despite the fact that she had a helmet on, but as her upper body leant forward, Emily knew what she had done.

"What cat?" Kevin asked, confused on what the two youngest were fighting over. "We don't have a cat."

"We do now," Mike answered. "And I told you, she looks more like a Tabby!"

"No!" Emily and Ava shouted causing Mike to shrink back.

Jayden shook his head, and as Emily and Ava went back to bickering over names, he turned to Mia and Kevin. "We raced here when the gap sensor sounded," he said.

"Thanks," Mia said, turning her blade over in her hand. "You're just in the nick of time."

"Moogers," the Nighlok, Doubletone, called out. "Come out; come out, wherever you are!"

Several gaps all over the forest floor glowed red as Moogers seeped out from the Netherworld and into the human world. They didn't waste any time, as the second they were free they leapt at the Rangers, breaking them apart from one another.

"Hey!" Ava and Emily shouted. "Can't you see we're trying to have an argument here?"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Fire smasher!" Jayden shouted, summoning his secondary weapon. He loaded it with his fire disk and wielded it about, smashing it into Moogers as they came close. "Its fall season for you Moogers; and thanks to my fire smashers, all of you will be taking the fall!"

Ava shrieked as she was kicked in the chest and sent stumbling backwards, crashing into Jayden, who had had his back turned to her. "Ow," she groaned, rubbing her chest. "If you're gonna pick on the Moogers, can you make sure they don't take revenge on me?" she asked, activating her Spin sword.

"Ice Naginata! Winter's come early for you Moogers! Sadly all you're getting for Christmas is a lump of coal!" she swung her staff-like weapon over her head and then slashed through the moogers with it. They turned instantly to solid ice.

"Forest spear!" Mike called, powering up his second weapon with his forest disk. "Moogers to the left of me, Moogers to the right... but when I'm down with them, they all say goodnight!" he said, attacking the foot soldiers with little to no effort.

Emily activated her Spin sword and summoned her secondary weapon, powering it up with her own disk. "Earth slicer!" she said, throwing he boomerang-like weapon at the Moogers and slicing them all down within seconds.

Ava grinned and run towards her friend. "Take them out!" she said, pointing at her ice sculptures.

"Naw, it's no fun when they can't move," Emily sulked.

"Please!" Ava pleaded.

Emily giggled. "Only if I can name him Agen -"

"No 'agent' anything!" Ava said. "As a codename, yes, mostly because I suck at codenames, but she needs a proper name."

Emily brooded. "Fine. No Agent Orange or anything," she caved, swinging her Earth slicer at the ice sculptures and shattering them into tiny flakes of snow. "But the name needs to fit..."

"Deal," Ava agreed, shaking hands with the Yellow ranger.

Jayden and Mike rolled their eyes just as Mia and Kevin blew up the Nighlok.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Carrot?"

"Cheddar?"

"Cheerio?"

"Cherry?"

Cinnamon Taffy?"

Ava and Emily paused in their bickering and turned to look, weirdly, at Mike.

"What?" the Green ranger asked. "You were both throwing out names..."

"We are not naming her 'Cinnamon Taffy'," Emily decided as Ava nodded in agreement. They were sat on the bleachers waiting for Ryan's baseball game to begin; but before that the Yellow and White rangers had rushed home to collect the new addition to the Samurai team, at least to benefit Kevin and Mia, and to prove that they really were telling the truth about their new house pet.

Mike groaned and slumped in his seat. "Does that mean we have to continue listening to you pair bicker?" he grumbled.

"I bet your parents bickered over your name, Mike," Ava pointed out.

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "Oh! Oh! How about Chianti?"

Ava made a face and stuck her tongue out.

"What?"

"Diego?" Mia suggested. "No, wait; is it a boy or a girl?"

"Girl!" Emily and Ava announced.

Mia nodded. "Huh, never mind then, Diego is more masculine," she shrugged. "Carry on!"

"Mia!" Mike complained, covering his ears as Emily and Ava resumed bickering over names, whilst the cat pounced up onto the bench behind the two girls, and wandered over towards those less noisy rangers.

Jayden smiled and scratched it behind the ears as it brushed past him.

"Courtez..."

"... Crimson ..."

"... Current ..."

"... Darla ..."

"... Coral ..."

Mike groaned and threw his hands up in defeat. "How hard is it to settle on a name?" he asked, scooping up the cat. "I do not envy you right now, Missy," he said, shaking his head and scratching her stomach as she purred lazily.

"Hey, look, there goes Ryan," Kevin said, interrupting the bickering and pointing out onto the field. The rangers, even Emily and Ava, turned to face the game as Ryan stepped out fully clothed in his baseball gear.

Jayden smiled and reached for his Samuraizer. He drew a symbol in mid-air, and sent it spinning towards Ryan, activating as it hit him in the back, drawing out a spirit of an old gentleman.

Ryan turned and gasped.

Meanwhile, with the rangers, Mike was staring, in disbelief at the spirit, while Emily and Ava looked like they were about to cry, although they each had different reasons for crying.

Emily because she had been touched by Ryan's story, and Ava because she knew what it was like to be without a parent; while Ryan's father was still alive, he still wasn't with his only child, and in her eyes, no child should have been without a parent.

"How did you do that hocus pocus?" Mike asked.

"I just helped a dream become a vision," Jayden answered, before adding. "But I can only sustain it for a moment!"

Kevin smiled and turned to Mia. "You know, Mia, the two of us make a great team," he nodded. "We're going to fight those Nighlok and make sure no else has to give up what they love."

"Or their dreams," Mia grinned.

Fighting back their grins, Ava and Emily burst into giggles as they made eye contact. Kevin and Mia were so blatanly obvious, that it was hard to contain themselves when they were so helplessly flirting with one another in front of everyone.

Mike and Jayden frowned and exchanged looks.

"If there is nothing worse than them bickering," Mike said, leaning forward so Jayden could hear him. "It's them giggling."

"Yeah," Jayden nodded, glancing at Ava.

Looking up at the sound of cheers, Kevin pointed out onto the field. "Hey, there goes Ryan now," he announced to his friends.

Just then, several things happened at once: Ryan swung the bat and cracked it against the ball. The sound was like a gunshot going off; a sound that startled the cat in Mike's arms, causing it to hiss and streak off away from the rangers.

Emily and Ava gasped, exchanged looks and screamed: "Cheetah!" as they shot off after it.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, September 29, 2012 at 2:03am**


	5. Chapter 5: Day Off

**Author's Note:** Please don't hate me when you get to the end of this chapter. *Hides behind pillar for protection*

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **Missao18** and **PRSluver** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Ava kicked her legs patiently as she sat in the waiting room at the vet's office. She and her father had come here to get Cheetah checked over, and so far, she was bored.

"How much longer?" she whined.

"They have to thorough, Ava," said Ji. "You want Cheetah to be 100%, don't you?"

"Of course," Ava exclaimed. "I'm just bored. I should have asked Mike for one of his video games!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her Samuraizer.

"Itsy Bitsy spider climbing up the spout," Ava sang under her breath as she flipped through the pictures that had been saved to the morpher. It acted like an actual cellphone as well as a connection to the morphin' grid. "Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain..."

The door to the vet's office opened and a young female with red hair stepped out, she was carrying Cheetah in her arms.

"Cheetah!" Ava squealed jumping up and accepting her cat from the doctor.

The cat purred and nuzzled Ava's cheek with her head.

The doctor smiled at the interaction and turned to Ji. "Everything seems perfectly normal," she nodded. "No signs of any diseases. It would seem that she has had all her necessary shots, so there isn't much that I really need to do for her."

"So she can go home?" Ji asked, observing as his daughter played with the cat.

"Just keep an eye on her," the Doctor nodded. "If anything seems out of the ordinary bring her straight back!"

Ji nodded and shook hands with the young vet. "Thank you!" he said.

"Bye Cheetah," the vet smiled, scratching the cat behind the ears. "Good luck, Ava, from what I have seen, Cheetah is lucky to have you!"

Ava smiled. "Thanks, Doctor," she said. "I'll take good care of her!"

"I'm sure you will,"

Ji smiled and nodded once more at the doctor, placed his hand on Ava's shoulder and led her from the office.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Emily!" Ava called as she raced through the Shiba house. "Emily! I've got good news!"

"What's that, Av?" Emily asked as the White ranger slid to a halt in front of the dojo.

"How did it go at the Vet's office?" Mia asked.

Ava smiled. "Cheetah has a 100% clean bill of health!" she grinned. "We've just got to keep an eye on her, and if anything changes she has to go straight back, but other than that she's good as gold!"

"So we can keep her?" Emily asked.

"Yup!"

"Cool!"

Ava grinned as she hugged Emily, just as Mike burst in through the front doors. He was carrying his skateboard and helmet, and the look on his face was a happy one. Was it possible he already knew that they could keep Cheetah? Or was he happy about something else?

"Hey, Mike," Ava smiled. "Guess what?"

"You get to keep Cheetah?" Mike guessed. "That's awesome!"

"How did you know?" Ava asked as she deflated.

"Because you were scared this morning that the Vet would take Cheetah away," Mike pointed out. "And the fact that you are now really excited and I just saw Cheetah in the yard. Just put two and two together, dude," he smiled nudging her shoulder.

Ava rolled her eyes.

"What are you so chipper about then?" Kevin asked, turning the tables.

"I just saw Mentor," Mike answered.

Ava frowned and exchanged a look with Emily. "Yeah, he lives here too," she nodded. "Why has that got you so excited?"

"Not just because I saw Mentor, Av," sighed Mike. "But because of what he just told me..."

"What did he tell you?" Emily asked.

"That he wants us to take the day off," Mike answered.

Emily, Ava and Mia exchanged excited looks, whilst Kevin looked skeptical.

"Really?" Emily and Ava probed.

"This isn't a joke?" Mia asked.

"But," Kevin sighed, "we just started our work out!" he turned and kicked the punch-bag behind him.

Ava shook her head. "Someone pinch me," she giggled. "Because I swear Kevin is close to disobeying a direct order from his Samurai mentor, who just happens to be my father, and I know for a fact that Daddy doesn't joke around. This has got to be the real deal or he wouldn't have said anything!"

Mike nodded and pointed at the White ranger.

"Listen to the kid," he said. "She knows what she's talking about."

"I'm not a kid," Ava pouted. "And I do know what i'm talking about!"

Kevin paused and turned back to his team-mates. "Well, I guess it would go against me if I disobeyed a direct order," he nodded; earning giggles and laughs from his friends.

"What to do?" Mia pondered breaking away from the others. "I could shop for shoes that are designed for fighting monsters or I could catch a flick?" she turned to her friends, hoping they would decide for her.

"But it's such a beautiful day," Emily persisted. "It'd be a shame to spend it cooped up inside!"

"Em, I can teach you how to shred," Mike insisted, holding up his skateboard and helmet.

Ava smirked at the pair of them, they were almost as bad as Kevin and Mia, almost; unlike Kevin and Mia they didn't flaunt the fact that they were desperately flirting with each other in front of anyone else. "Hey, how about the Rainbow's End amusement park?" she suggested. "I've never actually been there, but I've passed it enough times to see that it is fun! And I would love to go on a Roller-coaster!"

"You've never been on a Roller-coaster?" Mia asked.

"No," Ava said, shaking her head. "What do you think, Em?"

Emily grinned. "I've never been on one either," she said.

"What?" Mike exclaimed. He already knew why Ava hadn't been on a Roller-coaster, but Emily? That one, even he would admit, he had not been expecting.

"They don't have amusement parks out where i'm from!" Emily shrugged.

"Then it's settled," Mia smiled.

"Rainbow's End here we come!" Mike cheered, leading the way out of the dojo.

"Let's go!" Mia smiled, nudging Ava and Emily ahead of them, each of them stopping as they passed Jayden in the hall outside.

Ava stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"You're going the wrong way," she said, gazing up at him. "The car, which will eventually take us to the amusement park, is that way," she pointed over his shoulder towards the front door.

"Have fun," Jayden nodded, stepping around her.

Ava frowned, spun around and grabbed his hand, stopping him once again. "Daddy's given us the day off! That includes you!" she insisted.

"There is something I need to do today," Jayden said, taking his hand back. "I'll see you when you get back, OK?"

He turned and walked away.

"He's so mysterious sometimes," said Mia. "I wonder what's so important?"

Ava, however, was pouting in the direction Jayden had disappeared. Something was up, she could feel it.

"Do you know, Ava?" Kevin asked.

"No," Ava said, shaking her head. "But, then again, it's not the first time that Jayden has chosen training over a fun day. I remember once, Daddy literally had to force him into the car because he didn't want to come to the beach with me. Needless to say, he didn't talk to me all day."

"I bet that didn't last?" Emily smirked. She had seen the way Jayden acted with Ava, yes, he came across as all cold and mysterious around her and the others, but with Ava he was like a completely different person, his cold demeanor didn't seem to exist when Ava was present.

Ava smiled. "Nah, he can never stay mad at me for too long," she giggled.

"I wonder why?" Emily teased.

Ava chewed her lower lip as she knew what Emily was getting at, _**if only that were true**_ she thought.

The front door, leading from the main part of the house into the hallway leading to the bedrooms opened, and Mike stuck his head back in. "Our day off is waiting," he said. "Jayden can take care of himself! C'mon!" he disappeared again.

Emily giggled and followed after him, whilst Mia and Kevin exchanged looks as they followed. Ava, nonetheless, remained rooted to the spot.

"Come on, Av," Kevin said, stopping at the door and turning to face the White ranger. "Before Mike has kittens!"

"I heard that!" Mike shouted from the other end of the hallway.

Ava smiled and glanced back at the Blue Ranger. "I'll catch up," she said. "There is something I gotta check on first."

"Jayden will be fine," Kevin said.

"I know," Ava nodded. "I just need to be sure!"

She smiled and hurried off in the direction the Red ranger had disappeared.

Kevin sighed and watched her go; he was just about to follow her when Mike yelled at him from the other end of the house.

"Kevin!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava sighed as she leaned back against the doorframe watching as Jayden practiced with a new disk. She was _supposed_ to have been on her way to the amusement park with Emily and the others, but had opted to stay behind a little longer, in hopes of convincing Jayden to join them.

She understood that training was an important part of the Samurai lifestyle; but if it was possible for the dedicated Blue Ranger, Kevin, to take a break didn't that mean Jayden could too?

Unfortunately, the new disk was too strong, even for Jayden to control, and he was propelled backwards by the force of the blast that emitted from the spin sword mere seconds after he had activated it. He grunted as he lay, eagle-spread, on the pebbled path staring up into the sky.

"Hi," said Ava as she appeared above him. "You OK?"

"I thought you were with the others?"

"I was," Ava nodded. "But I thought maybe I could change your mind..."

Jayden heaved a heavy sigh and pushed himself back to his feet. Why couldn't she understand that if he had _wanted_ to go to the amusement park with them he would have? But he had training to take care of; he was now in a position where he had to be the best and keeping training in order to remain on top form.

"I'm fine, Ava," he said, trying to keep his voice as level as possible. He knew how Ava's personality worked; she was too innocent for her own good, and it was because of her innocence that she was good at getting her own way. Especially with him. "You should go enjoy yourself..." he added.

"I won't have any fun unless you're there," Ava admitted. "And I can't leave now, knowing that you are practicing with the Beetle disk, which reminds me; are you looking to get yourself killed? That disk is difficult to master!"

"As long as I have 100% commitment, I should be fine," Jayden nodded, reaching for his fallen Spin sword.

"Do you?" Ava asked. "Have full commitment?"

"I'm giving it 110%,"

"But without balance you're not going to get anywhere," Ava pointed out. "Daddy says that, in order to master anything as a Samurai, one must have balance in life. You're pushing yourself too hard, and that is not letting you be at your best."

"Yeah, maybe I am pushing myself too hard," Jayden nodded. "But i'm the Red ranger now!"

"So?" Ava frowned. "What does that have to do with anything? You weren't the Red ranger two years ago, and you still made yourself sick by pushing yourself too hard. I distinctively remember Dad physically forcing you out of the house because you refused to give up training."

"That was different -"

"How?" Ava asked. "How is that any different to now? Because it was just training and this is the real deal?"

"Yes! I have to be the best and keep getting better."

"No, Jayden," Ava said, shaking her head. "You already are the best! You just don't see it!"

"Ava..." Jayden sighed. He knew that she was only trying to help, but he couldn't concentrate when she was around, he had never been able to concentrate when she was around. In all honesty, he wanted to tell her to go be with the others, to leave him to his training, but he also didn't want to sound harsh or push her away.

Realizing that she was getting nowhere, Ava tried a different approach; hopefully this route would get her better results.

"There was once a time that you knew how to have fun," she said, reaching out and grasping the handle of the Spin sword. His hand closed around hers and she had to repress the shiver that tingled down her spine. "When we were kids it didn't take much persuasion to distract you, even before the team turned up we still had fun, when you were fighting Moogers or have you forgotten?"

Jayden winced as he made the fatal mistake of looking up at her, he hadn't realized how close she had actually got to him until now, granted he knew she had to have been close to touch the sword, but he didn't realize she was close enough for him to reach out and hold her.

"The Nighlok are getting stronger," he defended, resisting the physical urge to hug her, at least like he used too. "I have to master the beetle disk before it is too late!"

"I understand that the responsibility you bare is great," Ava nodded, as she tightened her hold on the Spin sword as he attempted to tug it from her grasp. "But while you must master the disk, you also have to master balance in your life as a Samurai!"

Feeling her grip slacken on the Spin sword, Jayden cast his gaze away, missing the hurt look that flashed across her face. Once the sword was completely free of her hold, Jayden took a step backwards, spun it in his hands and returned to trying to control it.

Ava sighed as she realized that she had failed in her attempts in getting him to consider joining her at the amusement park, and so, with a heavy heart, she nodded silently, and turned back to the house. She hadn't even reached the door when Jayden's voice called out to her.

"I have to do this, Ava," he said.

"I know," Ava answered, without looking at him. Before adding, in a soft whisper, "I just wish you knew how much I miss you!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

_**Great! Now I'm gonna feel like the third wheel!**_ Ava thought as she hurried through the amusement park looking for her friends, she had already contacted Emily who had told her that they'd be waiting near the roller-coaster for her; she had already seen the Roller-coaster from the entrance, it wasn't that difficult considering it was probably the largest ride at the whole amusement park.

Finally spotting her friends, Ava called out to them, waved and hurried over.

"Where's Jayden?" Kevin asked.

"He's not coming," Ava said, shaking her head. "I couldn't change his mind."

"There's a shock," Emily teased.

Ava stuck her tongue out at her new best friend. She and Emily had gotten closer over the past few weeks, and while the Yellow ranger could never compare to Jayden, it was nice to know that she had someone other than him to turn to for fun, seeing as Jayden had seemingly forgotten the whole meaning of the word.

"He seemed pretty busy," Mia shrugged. "Maybe we could take him back some cotton candy!"

"Oh! Candy!" Ava grinned, and she started tugging at Emily's arm. "C'mon!"

Emily giggled and run off with the White ranger, leaving Kevin, Mia and Mike to rush after them. For two people who had never been to an amusement park before, neither Emily nor Ava had an awareness of self-safety.

"Wait!" Kevin gasped, finally catching up with the two girls. "Maybe this is a test? A Samurai never takes a day off!"

Mia rolled her eyes. "Kev, stop being so paranoid!" she said, stopping him from leaving. "I'm sure Jayden has a reasonable explanation as to why he stayed behind."

"If he had wanted us to stay," Mike nodded. "He would have said so!"

Emily and Ava nodded.

"I don't think Jayden will take a day off until the last Nighlok is defeated," Mia insisted.

"OK," Kevin deflated, realizing they were right. "I'll stay for a while!"

Ava shook her head. "C'mon! The rides aren't gonna wait forever!" she giggled, grabbing Emily's hand again and pulling her towards the roller-coaster.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"That was fun," Mia said as she sipped at the cool drink she had just bought. She and the others were crowded around a small plastic table eating corn dogs and ice cream, after their mad rush on the rides.

Ava nodded as she picked at her cotton candy. "Jayden's gonna freak when he finds out I've eaten this," she said. "He still hasn't forgiven Daddy for the cookie incident."

"Oh, yeah, when you ended up in his bed at half five in the morning," Emily pointed out.

"You should be thankful, Emily," Ava answered. "Jayden did save both you and Mike that morning."

"How?" Mike asked, biting into his second corndog.

"Because I was ready to come wake you guys up," Ava answered, honestly. "I was gonna jump on you, Mike, and then wake Emily so we could have cookies together; but Jayden stopped me. If he hadn't told me the Samurai story and put me back to sleep..." she shrugged.

Emily exchanged a look with Mike. "Thank you, Jayden," they both said together, earning a giggle from Ava.

"You two make a cuter couple than you would twins," Ava teased, grinning at the dull blush that rose in both her friend's faces. "Aw and here was me thinking that Red was Jayden's colour. You guys look cute in Red!"

Mia and Kevin exchanged looks and laughed into whatever they were eating or drinking.

Reaching across the table, Mike took the cotton candy from the White ranger's hands. "I think you've had enough," he said, ignoring the puppy dog pout that crossed Ava's features. "Unless you want to end up in bed with Jayden tonight?" he smirked.

Ava glared at him as her face warmed.

"Jayden may not be here," Emily laughed. "But Ava's keeping is colour radiant!"

"I hate you both,"

"We love you too, Av," Mike chuckled, as Kevin patted the White ranger's shoulder.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Perking up at the sound of screams, the five Samurai ranger exchanged looks, jumped to their feet and took off running towards the noise.

"Humans," the Nighlok sneered. "They're a waste of good space! Time to crank up the fun to a higher caliber!"

He aimed his weapon at a small group of people he had rounded up. However, when he fired, his blasts were deflected by Kevin and Mike who had arrived just in time.

"Leapin' Lizards," the Nighlok gasped. "Samurai rangers!"

"Here," Ava said, helping a woman with red hair to her feet. She recognized her as the vet that had deemed Cheetah with a clean bill of health. "Quickly, get to safety!"

The vet nodded and hurried off with the rest of the people.

"That's enough, dreadlock!" Mike shouted.

"You sayin' there is somethin' wrong with ma hair?" the Nighlok asked, shouldering his weapon.

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "It's so dreadful that it needs a trim!" He kicked off from the ground and slashed downwards, through the Nighlok - literally - with his Spin sword. "Huh - what?" he gasped, before taking several hits to the chest.

He hit the ground in front of the others.

"Mike!" Emily exclaimed.

"Pretty colours," the Nighlok said, as Emily, Ava and Mia run at him with their swords. "Did ya'll come down here to give me a warm welcome?"

Attacking with their Spin swords, the female trio had the same result as Mike, as their swords went straight through the Nighlok.

"This isn't good," Emily said.

"What do we do?" Mia asked, turning to Ava.

"What you looking at me for?" Ava asked, before they were blasted backwards as the Nighlok opened fire on them.

"Mia! Emily!" Kevin shouted, kneeling beside them. "Ava! You guys OK?"

Ava shook her head. "That hurt!" she whimpered, pushing herself back up onto her feet. "Our weapons are ineffective! What do we do, Kev?"

"Stay here," Kevin said. "Let me try!"

He run at the Nighlok, but got the same result as the others.

"We're in trouble, here!" Ava whined.

After getting back to his feet, Kevin turned to Mike, and the two of them jumped over the Nighlok and attacked from behind, leaving Mia, Ava and Emily to circle in from the front and sides.

"Prove this," the Nighlok said. "You guys ain't so hot, 'cause your swords have got no mojo!"

"There is nothing we can do!" Emily wailed as her spin sword sailed straight through the monster.

"What's this Nighlok made of?" Mia asked.

"Mostly red fur," Mike answered.

The Nighlok laughed and ducked aside, rolling across the pavement, and then getting back to his feet as he turned to face the five of them again. "I'll give you red fur," he said, blasting them again, resulting in them losing their swords. "Now that I've got your attention, there is some big news that I'll knock you flying..." he said, blasting them several more times.

Completely out of energy, the five rangers hit the ground one after another, as their Spin swords clattered to the ground behind them.

"Now that's a bit more like it," the Nighlok nodded, blowing the smoke from his laser. "So let's pretend you're all blades of grass, and guess who's gonna be the lawnmower."

He aimed his blaster at them again, as each one of the five rangers ducked down and covered their heads and faces with their arms; they each knew that with this final blast it would know them out for the count.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava raised her head at the familiar yell that reached her senses; the moment she looked up, she smiled as Jayden jumped into view behind the Nighlok.

"Jayden!" Kevin shouted, spotting him too.

"Watch out!" Emily warned, but Jayden's sword had already sailed through the monster without even touching him.

Looking up in confusion, Jayden attacked several more times, each one sailing through the Nighlok as if he was nothing but thin air.

"Hey, what gives?" Jayden frowned, looking down at his sword.

"Aw man," Mike complained. "Even Jayden's sword won't work!"

"Yeah! It goes right through his body!" Emily nodded.

"You attack like a toothless 'gator," the Nighlok said, leveling his blaster with Jayden's stomach. "Check ya later!" he added, firing the attack.

Jayden flipped over backwards to avoid the attack, kicking the blaster out of the Nighlok's hands.

Seizing her spin sword, Ava rushed towards Jayden. "What do we do?" she asked. "None of our individual attacks phase him! And our swords are useless!"

"Let's use our Power disks and attack together," Jayden suggested.

The others nodded and loaded up their Spin swords.

"Hey, what you trying to pull now?" the Nighlok asked, turning back to the rangers.

Activating their power disks, the rangers attacked as one, sending the monster back a few steps and causing energy to ripple through him.

"Got him!" Jayden nodded.

"Oh, your rainbow rage just tickled my tummy," the Nighlok responded, firing openly at them.

Fearful gasps sounded as five out of six rangers ducked behind their leader, who summoned his secondary weapon to deflect the blasts.

"You can't faze me," the Nighlok said, walking forwards.

He fired again.

"This is serious!" Kevin yelled. "What are we gonna do?"

Reaching to his belt, Jayden pulled out the Beetle disk and held it up; he hesitated, however, when Ava gasped at the sight of it.

"Whoa," Mia gasped. "What is that? I've never seen that before!"

The Nighlok fired again, but the Fire smasher protected them from taking any direct hits.

"Jayden," Ava murmured.

"Oh," the Nighlok groaned, as he started to dry out. "It feels like I ate cactus needles! Next time you won't be so lucky!" he warned, disappearing into a nearby gap.

The ranger sighed, whilst Jayden considered the Beetle disk. He could feel Ava's gaze on him, despite the fact that they were both wearing helmets, but he didn't dare turn to face her.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Man," Mike complained as he circled the table and slouched on his stool beside Mia. "That monster was working some bad mojo..."

"I don't want to sound like that Nighlok," said Mia. "But our Spin swords and symbol power were..."

"Useless?" Ava supplied.

Mia nodded. "Yeah!" she agreed.

"It's scary to think about what he could have done to us," Kevin pondered as he circled the table and took his own seat beside Mia and Jayden.

Ava shuddered at the possibility of what would have happened had Jayden not arrived when he did. "It's a good thing you showed up when you did," she nodded at her friend.

"I for one," piped up Emily. "Would rather think about how we can beat him, not envision what would have happened to us if Jayden hadn't arrived or before he dried out!"

"Exactly, Emily," Ji nodded. "Fear is the enemy! If you believe in yourselves, you can win any battle. Confidence is what brings power!"

Mike shook his head. "You weren't there," he pointed out. "Our weapons couldn't touch him!"

"He's right, Daddy," Ava agreed. "They went straight through him, as if... he wasn't even there himself! I mean, how can we beat him if we can't get near him?"

"That's not true," said Jayden, causing Ava to turn quickly in his direction. "Don't forget we did injure him!"

"Yeah, together," Ava nodded. "But individually -"

"Then we're just going to raise the playing field and attack as a team," Jayden cut across her. "I'm working on mastering a new power," he added to the rest of the team as he showed them the orange disk from earlier.

Mia nodded. "So that's what you've been doing today?" she said, it was more of a statement than it was a question, but it still caught the other's attention and drew them in.

"A new disk," Kevin breathed. "What is it?"

"There are secret disks passed down from previous generations of Samurai," Ji informed them.

"Most have been lost in battle," added Jayden. "This may be the only one left. With this," he added, "we at least stand a chance of beating the Nighlok!"

Ava shot him a weary glance. "The only downside to mastering the Beetle disk," she said, pushing her way through her friends. "Is that one needs _double_ the samurai power they already have!"

"Don't worry," Jayden said, as the team exchanged worried glances. "You guys focus on recovering!"

"But twice as much power?" Mike asked, lifting his head from his hands. "Can you really handle that?"

"Thanks to Ji, I've been trained to believe that I can do anything I put my mind too," Jayden nodded.

Ava lowered her gaze.

"So why didn't you use it earlier?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, but Jayden still heard her. She wasn't trying to downgrade him; she was just worried for his safety at the hands of the Beetle disk.

Jayden paused, before answering, "Next time," he then walked away.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava sighed as she rolled over.

She had been lying in bed for the last quarter of an hour waiting for sleep to find her, but it seemed the sandman was on strike tonight, at least, he didn't seem to be wanting to visit her, and she had a pretty good idea why. Even if she was able to sleep, it wouldn't put her mind at ease, she still couldn't shake Jayden and the Beetle disk from her system, not even long enough to get a good night's sleep.

"He's going to be the death of me!" she complained as she kicked off her blankets and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Dressed only in shorts and t-shirt, it was a warm night, the White ranger stalked out of her room, through the deserted and quiet house, to the back garden where she knew her Red ranger was training.

Ava paused in the doorway, watching as Jayden activated the Beetle disk with his fire smashers, and wielded the weapon over his shoulder, around his head, and back down so that it was level with his stomach. She watched as he strained to keep the power from knocking him back. "Come on, Jayden," she whispered.

But just like before, the power was much too strong for one person to handle, and Jayden was blasted backwards as the Fire smasher hit the ground, the beetle disk powering down.

"Jayden!" Ava shrieked as she run towards him.

"Ava," Jayden sighed as she helped him into a sitting position. "What are you doing awake?"

"I can't sleep,"

"You need to go back to bed,"

Ava shook her head and helped him back to his feet.

"Not without you," she said.

"Av -"

"Nope. If you insist on mastering this Beetle disk," Ava interrupted. "At least have someone with you for encase you get hurt!"

"I'm fine, Ava!"

"Are you?" Ava asked. "Because to me, right now, you looked wrecked. You need to sleep!"

"What I need to do is master this disk!" Jayden snapped.

Ava's eyes widened and she took a few steps backwards, away from him.

Catching the fearful look, Jayden sighed; he hadn't meant to snap at her.

"Ava, i'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean that. It's just, if I can just -"

"I know," Ava nodded. "Jayden, are you sure you have what it takes to master this disk?"

"If I practice all night..." Jayden nodded. "Then yes, I think I do."

Ava sighed. She had seen this determination before, she knew that once Jayden's mind was made up, and then there was no changing it.

"Alright," she agreed, turning away from him. For a split second Jayden thought that she was finally going to go back to bed, however, she didn't; instead, Ava knelt down and picked up the fallen fire smasher, and pulled it back towards him. "The last thing I want is to wake up tomorrow morning and be told that my best friend is gone! So, if you insist on mastering this disk, at least let me help!"

Jayden looked confused. "What -?"

"Two Samurai have got to be stronger than one, right?" Ava asked, offering him the handle of his Fire smasher. "And, at the very least, this way I don't risk losing my best friend!"

"Ava, I can't ask you do that,"

"You're not asking me," Ava said, shaking her head. "I'm offering!"

She took his hand and curled it around the handle of his Fire smasher. "Your team..." she smiled as he looked up at him, "and the human world is counting on you to protect them! You think that mastering the Beetle disk is the only way! But for once in my life, I am going to be selfish! I'm only helping you, because I don't want to lose you! I love you, Jayden, I do, and while on some level I don't agree with -"

Whatever she was going to say next was lost, as without warning, Jayden drew her in closer and kissed her.

Startled, Ava froze, before without thinking of the consequences that this may lead too, she kissed him back. After what felt like an eternity, Jayden released her, and she stumbled backwards slightly. Ava quickly regained her footing and stared, confusedly, up at him.

"What was that -?"

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Jayden answered. "Now seemed like the perfect chance!"

"Yeah, because standing around in the dead of night, discussing how we could one day wake up without each other, is really romantic!" Ava scoffed.

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Fine. It was further proof that neither of us is going to lose the other," he said.

"You can't promise that," Ava purred.

"I can try," Jayden whispered, resting his forehead against hers, and running his thumb across her jaw. "One more try," he added, pulling back and kissing her forehead.

"Fine. Then can we go to bed?" Ava asked. "I don't know about you, but I think the sandman just visited me! I'm starting to get tired!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava groaned and batted away the hand that was shaking her shoulder. "Five more minutes, Daddy," she yawned, rolling away from whoever was attempting to wake her.

"Ava," Ji said, persistently shaking her shoulder. "You must get up! The others need your help!"

"But the sensor -"

"You slept through it," Ji chuckled as Ava cringed, sheepishly. "C'mon, the others have already left!"

"Where's Jayden?"

"Outside,"

Ava frowned. "But he -" she broke off as she remembered Jayden coming back to bed the previous evening, but whatever happened to him after that she didn't know. "He's going to kill himself, if he's not careful, Daddy,"

"I know," Ji nodded. "Quickly now."

"OK," Ava nodded, throwing back her blankets and swinging her legs out of bed. "Are you going to check on Jayden?"

Ji nodded, kissed her forehead and then left her to get dressed.

Ava dressed at top speed, grabbed her Samuraizer from the desk in the corner and hurried out of her room, colliding with Jayden outside the dojo. He looked like hell.

"Eurgh," Ava teased. "Take off the mask, Jayden, Halloween's not for another few months!"

Jayden glared at her.

Ava smiled. She was starting to get a little more outspoken, possibly a trait that she was picking up from living with four other Samurai, although only two out of those four did Ava spend most of her time with: Mike and Emily.

Jayden shook his head and turned to Ji.

"Where are the others?" he asked. "It's time to clash again!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Flip and dip all you want!" said the Nighlok as four out of six rangers rushed at him. "But i'm sending all of you all down the river!" he slashed at Emily, Mia and Mike sending them spinning to the ground, as Kevin pushed off from the ground, but was blasted back by the Nighlok's blaster.

Pushing himself back to his feet, Kevin froze as the Nighlok levelled the blaster with his chest.

"There is no point in tryna' stand up, dude," the Nighlok drawled. "Because I'mma 'bout too knock you down for good!"

"Kevin!" Mia gasped as she tried to make it to her feet, only for her legs to buckle and she hit the pavement again.

"They do say that blue and green should never be seen," Ava yelled as she leapt at the monster. She pulled back her Ice Naginata and threw it, as hard as she could, at the Nighlok; however, the weapon just sailed straight through him. "Damnit! I should have seen that coming!" the white ranger yelled in annoyance.

Emily sighed as she looked up to see Ava running towards her and the others. Jayden was behind her, but he was more focused on the Nighlok than anything else. "Ava, you made it!" the Yellow ranger smiled, as her friend grabbed her shoulder.

"And just in time," Ava nodded. "Are you guys OK?"

"We are now," Kevin nodded. "Thanks for the save!"

Ava smiled. "No problem!" she said, glancing back at the Nighlok and Jayden. The red ranger had yet to attack, just stood, fire smasher in hand, as the Nighlok ranted at him.

"What - Why doesn't he charged?" Kevin frowned.

"Come on, Jayden," Mike yelled. "Go for it!"

Jayden opened the clasp on his belt and reached for the Beetle disk that lay within; he paused in hesitation of his previous defeats, and glanced, subtly, in Ava's direction. She was on her knees beside Emily, supporting the Yellow ranger after the beaten she had taken from the Nighlok.

Seemingly catching Jayden's gaze, (more like sensing him watching her), Ava looked up and nodded once, indicating that she _knew_ that he could master the Beetle disk.

"Geeze, I've seen glaciers that move faster than you," said the Nighlok, levelling his blaster with Jayden.

"Jayden!" Emily and Kevin gasped.

"Smash him, Jay," Mike encouraged.

"Hey, poser," the Nighlok shouted, starting to get frustrated. "Is that all you've got?"

Panic-stricken, Ava pushed herself to her feet and run the short distance between the others and her friend. "Jayden!" she said, sliding to a stop beside him, and grasping his forearm tightly she shook him. "You promised I wouldn't lose you! Don't let him take you from me! Please, Jayden!"

Having heard her pleas, Jayden pushed her behind him, before seizing the handle of his fire smasher and spiralling it over his shoulder and head, just as he had done his spin sword the previous evening, he slashed down with it, holding it steady in front of him, but still he struggled with the power that it provided.

"You can do it, Jayden," Ava murmured, as she wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned into him. "I know you can!"

Persevering through the backlash of power, Jayden managed to configure his smasher into its next level of power. "Cannon blast mode!" he announced, as he heard Ava gasp and relax alongside him. "Hey, you guy," he called out to his team-mates, holding up his fire disk. "Lend me your power disks!"

The others nodded and run over, loading their own power disks into the new weapon behind Ava and Jayden's.

"Sure..."

"... Hope..."

"... This..."

"... Helps!"

They each said in turn, causing Ava to smile and roll her eyes beneath her visor.

"What you got there, boy?" the Nighlok inquired. "A rainbow pea shooter?"

"Six disk beetle cannon," Jayden commanded as the others knelt behind him.

"Useless pile of junk," the Nighlok hissed firing his own weapon. Jayden mimicked his actions and blasted him with the six powered-up disks. The energy blast ripped through the monster.

"Righteous!" Mike cheered high-fiving Ava as the Nighlok exploded.

"Yeah!" Mia nodded.

"We did it!" Emily applauded, bouncing happily up and down.

"Guys, hold up on the celebrating," Jayden warned them. "This Nighlok's about to get a lot bigger!"

Ava groaned as the monster returned. "Aw, man, why do they always come back for more?" she complained.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Let's do it!" Jayden said, calling forth his Foldingzord. The others followed suit. "Lion Foldingzord!"

"Penguin Foldingzord!"

"Dragon Foldingzord!"

"Bear Foldingzord!"

"Ape Foldingzord!"

"Turtle Foldingzord!"

"Mega Mode Power!" the six rangers commanded after tracing the 'super' sign over their zords. Kicking off from the ground, each ranger materialized inside the cockpit of their respective Zords, and combined together.

"Samurai Megazord, we are united!"

Raising the Katana blade, Jayden aimed it to strike the Nighlok, but just like the Spin swords, it went straight through.

"What?!" the Red ranger complained. "It didn't work!"

"Your sword still has no effect on me!" the Nighlok laughed, blasting them with his blaster, knocking five out of six rangers off of their podiums.

"We've gotta try something else!" Jayden said, as he managed to remain standing.

"There's no point fighting it," the Nighlok drawled. "You're all crusin' to a losin'!"

Staggering forward, Kevin turned to Jayden. "Now what?" he asked. "Any ideas?"

"Jayden," Ava gasped, slumping against her console as the Nighlok attacked again. "Daddy always said to learn from our mistakes!"

"I don't see how that's going to work, Ava," said Mia, struggling to maintain her balance as she made it back to her console.

Ava shook her head. "Our spin swords didn't work individually last time," she pointed out. "But when combined together they did! The same with our power disks! If we can combine our powers together again, we may stand a chance of beating him!"

"As anyone ever told you that you're smart?" Jayden asked, causing the White ranger to giggle.

"I have my moments," she smiled. "Use the Beetle disk, Jayden; there's gotta be a Beetle zord in there somewhere!"

Jayden nodded. "Ava's right," he agreed. "It's time to unleash the true power of this disk!"

He held up the orange beetle disk, before ejecting himself from the cockpit. He walked out onto the shoulder of the Megazord and called out to the Nighlok. He threw the disk into the air, activated his spin sword, and blasted the disk with furious flames.

Ava held her breath, as for a split second, nothing happened, then, out of nowhere, an orange beetle zord landed on the ground in front of the Samurai Megazord. "Haha! I was right!" Ava giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet and clapping happily.

"There was a Beetle zord in there somewhere!" Emily nodded.

"Excellent!" Kevin approved.

"How cool!" Mia grinned.

"Now _that's_ what i'm talking about!" Mike laughed.

Jumping from the shoulder of the Megazord, Jayden landed on the head of the Beetle zord and disappeared inside. "Let's put this thing in drive and get too it!" he said, initiating the start-up drive by attaching the beetle disk to the console. "Beetle zord online! Go!"

"Don't think you can bug me with your roach coach contraption," the Nighlok said, firing his blaster at the Beetle as it lumbered forward, its head spinning around, but the blasts had no effect on the insect.

"Well guess what?" Jayden retorted. "Things are about to get a whole lot buggier for you, buddy!"

Ava, who was listening over the built in comms link inside her helmet, rolled her eyes. "Oh, that was lame!" she said, shaking her head, and earning a chuckle from Mike, who was also listening in.

The jaw of the Beetle zord extended upwards, and caught around the Nighlok's leg, trapping him inside.

"Hey, quit pulling my leg!" the Nighlok shouted, looking down.

"This spin move will make you flip," said Jayden, and the Beetle's head rotated to the side, sending the Nighlok flying backwards.

Emily laughed. "Yeah! We got him!" she said.

"Alright!" Kevin nodded.

"Way to go!" Mia cheered.

Angry at the rangers, the Nighlok jumped back to his feet, and spun around to face them. "I'm bringing in the exterminators!" he said.

"Giant Moogers!" Ava groaned, as a small army of archers took a stand in front of them, blocking their access to the monsters.

"On the count of three," the Nighlok instructed. "One... Two..." before he could reach his final number, Jayden directed the Beetle zord to blast the Moogers with electrified energy, causing them to spark and explode.

Unfolding his mega blade from the console, Jayden returned to the Samurai Megazord with the others. "Now the real battle begins!" he said. "Samurai artillery!"

Watching from the safety of her podium, Ava's eyes widened as the beetle zord rose into the air, broke apart and combined with the Megazord, providing it with even more fire power than before.

"Huh," Ava mocked. "And he thought we were useless!"

"Let's see how he fairs against us now!" Mike grinned, high-fiving her.

"Yeah!" Ava agreed.

Jayden, who had been watching them from the corner of his eye, frowned at the feeling that bubbled inside him and tried to ignore the intense need to move Ava as far away from Mike as possible. "Time to go for it!" he replaced his Samurai Megazord disk with the beetle one and powered up the new weapons. "Beetle Blaster Megazord, armed for battle!"

"Jayden, what's going on?" Mike asked.

"I'll explain later," Jayden nodded. "Focus!"

Exchanging a look with Ava, Mike shrugged and turned back to his console, the others doing the same.

Seemingly aware that this was no longer a fight they could win, the Moogers stepped backwards in alarm.

"Don't back down!" the Nighlok scolded. "Get him!"

Readying their arrows, the Moogers let rip, but their attacks were shot out of the air, as blasts from the Megazords cannon's sliced through them, hitting the Moogers and causing them to explode.

"It doesn't matter how big they are," said Jayden. "They're still Moogers!"

"Daddy always said," Ava nodded her hands on her hips. "The bigger they are, the harder they shall fall!"

Emily giggled. "My sister used to say the same thing!" she nodded.

"Now it's your turn," Jayden added, turning back to the Nighlok.

"Haven't ya sussed it out?" the Nighlok growled. "Your sword's useless against me!"

As the Megazord placed their katana back on the Megazords belt, the monster opened fire, but before the blasts could hit, the Rangers retaliated with their own form of attack. The cannons ignited and tore through the Nighlok's body, causing him to spark dangerously and explode

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Mia smiled as she walked through the amusement park with Mike and Kevin. It was the morning after the Nighlok's attack and the grand revealing of the Beetle zord; needless to say, despite the fact that their day off had been ruined, the rangers were grateful to have permission for another fun day at the park.

"I guess if Mentor says it's alright, and then who am I to argue?" Kevin smiled, earning himself a pat on the back from Mike and a smile from Mia.

"Who's gonna argue," Emily called as she and Ava run towards them, "with cotton candy!"

Ava smiled as she passed Mike and Kevin a ball of fluffed up candy on a stick.

"This doesn't agree with my training diet," Kevin said, staring at the fluffy sugar as Jayden arrived, handing Ava her own treat. Normally, he wouldn't have given her any sugar, but he knew that she'd probably end up sharing with Emily if she didn't have her own.

"A little teeny, tiny bit of sugar is not gonna kill you," Ava giggled. "Besides, it's only for one day!"

"She's got a point, dude," Mike nodded, licking his fingers of the mashed up cotton. Ava and Emily giggled at the sight. "What? It's sticky!" the Green ranger defended earning himself several more giggles. "Tell me again why they're allowed sugar?"

"Because they're the heart of the team," Mia answered, smiling at the two girls.

"So?" Mike asked, suddenly confused.

"Maybe because you can't say no to us," Emily shrugged, linking arms with Ava.

Ava bobbed her head in agreement. "Yup! Eat it, Kev!" she added, as the Blue ranger continued to stare at the cotton candy.

Kevin considered her for a moment, before taking a chunk of cotton into his mouth, not enough to be completely overwhelmed by the stickiness of the sugar, like Mike had, which also meant he didn't receive as many giggles from Ava and Emily as the Green ranger.

"C'mon you stick in the mud!" Mike said, suddenly, grabbing Kevin around the shoulder and pulling him away from the group. "The rides are this way!"

"Gosh," Emily grinned, tugging Ava and Mia after the two. "My first roller-coaster!"

Nonetheless, despite Emily excitement of her first every roller-coaster, ride, Jayden had unfinished business with Ava. Two nights ago, during his training with the beetle disk, something had happened between them, something that he feared would change things for the worst; and while apart of him wanted to bury the event away and forget about it, he knew that, as Red ranger, and Ava's friend, it was his duty to address the situation _before_ it got out of hand.

"Hey, Ava," he called, stopping the female trio in their tracks. "Can I talk to you? It won't take long..." he added, seeing the look on Emily's face. It was obvious that she didn't want to go on any rides unless Ava was with her.

"I'll meet you there," Ava said, patting Emily's shoulder and returning to Jayden. "Tell Mike and Kevin to hang on!"

"OK," Emily nodded, turning back to Mia. "Let's go!"

Mia nodded and the two friends hurried off after Mike and Kevin, both of whom had reached the Roller-coaster entrance already.

"What's up?" Ava asked, stopping in front of Jayden.

"Two nights ago... when we..."

"Kissed?" Ava asked. "It's not a bad word, Jayden."

"I know," Jayden nodded. "It's just..." he sighed, this was more difficult than he expected, but he had to say something. "Look, Ava, I didn't mean to do it... I shouldn't have done anything... it was a mistake..."

Ava felt her heart shudder to a halt. "What?" she asked completely confused on what was going on. Was this really happening? After everything he had said, two nights previous, he was now taking it back?

"Ava, I'm sorry," Jayden shook his head. "But right now we don't have time for things like that. We have a job to do, and I don't think I could do that and be in a relationship.

"But, Jayden..." Ava gasped, her eyes shining with tears.

"I worry about you enough in battle as it is," Jayden cut across her. "If we were together, I could lose my focus entirely and people might get hurt, and I don't think I could live with that."

Ava swallowed back her tears, and lowered her gaze. She couldn't believe this was happening. She'd finally got what she had always wanted, and that was proof that Jayden at least considered her as more than a friend, and two nights ago he had proved that he did see her in more than a little sister respect; but now... now he was taking all that away from her, and saying it was a mistake.

"You don't mean that," she said, looking up at him. "The other night proved that you don't mean anything that you're saying now, you're just too scared to admit that there is something more than friendship between us, and so you're trying to cover it up as a mistake!"

"Ava -"

"I know it wasn't a mistake, Jayden," Ava yelled. "I know you felt something! _You_ kissed _me_ remember? You wouldn't have done that if you didn't think there was something there!"

Jayden shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ava," he sighed, as he stepped around her. "It's just gotta be this way!"

Ava choked back a sob as she watched him walk away, how could he do this to her? How was it possible that he could hurt her in ways that no one else could? She knew how... it was because of how close they were he knew her better than anyone, sometimes even better than her own father that was how he knew how to dig deep and hurt her. He knew how much he meant to her. He knew everything.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Ava nodded sadly. "Sorry that I fell in love with someone like you!"

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Wednesday, October 03, 2012 at 02:11am**


	6. Chapter 6: Sticks and Stones

**Author's Note:** This chapter is a following on from the last. Thanks to **Pixiescale1185** and** Jessfairy88** for helping plan and flesh out some of the ideas that are soon to appear in the rest of the series.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **Metai12, Sweetredranger, Eclispex-x, Scificash, Delphigirl689 Dorito of Doom** and** Yurrie** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Emily watched as Ji checked, double checked, and even triple checked the map for any signs of Ava. It had been almost twenty four hours since she had gone missing, and to say the Shiba house was as lively as it was when she was around would have been an understatement.

It wasn't difficult to prove that Ava was the heart and soul of the entire house, to see that she was missing was bringing a gloom down on everyone.

Stepping out of the living room, Emily turned into the kitchen and spotted the others already at the breakfast table. "Did Mentor sleep at all last night?" she asked, taking her stool beside Mike.

"No," Kevin answered. "He's done nothing but stare at the map, as if Ava's going to walk around town fully morphed."

"He's worried about her, Kev," Mia said. "We all are. It's not like Ava to run away... at least, I don't think it is. Has she ever done anything like this before, Jayden?" she added, turning to the Red ranger.

Jayden, who had been pretty much silent since yesterday, jumped at the sound of his name.

"What?" he asked startled.

"Are you OK, dude?" Mike asked.

"I'm fine," Jayden nodded. "And no, Mia, this is the first time Ava has ever gone missing!"

"I could have told you that," Mike nodded. "Ava hasn't stepped foot outside of this house since her mother died. Why do you think she doesn't leave unless one of us or Mentor is with her?" he asked.

Mia sighed and looked down at her breakfast.

"Then why has she run off now?" she frowned. "There has to be a reason, doesn't there?"

"Of course there's a reason," Emily nodded, scooping up Cheetah as she brushed against the Yellow ranger's legs. "Ava has everything here, why would she want to give that up?"

Jayden swallowed the lump in his throat. He had a pretty good idea why Ava had run off, he just couldn't tell the others.

"Look, guys, i'm sure Ava's fine," he said, trying to calm them down.

"How can you say that, Jayden?" Mia asked. "She's your best friend! She's probably scared out of her mind!"

Emily nodded. "If she's fine, why hasn't she called yet?" she questioned. "What if something bad has happened to her? Or a Nighlok has found her..."

"The Gap Sensor would have gone off had a Nighlok crossed into our world," Jayden interrupted quickly, it seemed, at least to the others, that he wasn't at all that bothered about Ava being missing. If only they knew the truth; if only they knew that it was *his* fault for Ava's disappearance, and that while he felt incredibly guilty for what he had done, he too was suffering, he was just very good at hiding his true emotions.

In all honesty, he wanted Ava found as much as any of them did, he just wasn't losing his cool in the face of trouble. Last night, while everyone slept, despite the night being restless, he had awoken to the silent echoes of Ava's laugh, thinking that she had returned he had jumped from his bed and hurried through the house, reaching the living room where Ji was stationed, and it was then he realized that the laughter was in his own mind, he had imagined Ava, just as he had always known her - carefree, bubbly and energetic - three of the main reasons that he loved her.

"Jayden!" Kevin shouted, shaking the Red ranger from his thoughts.

Shaking his head, Jayden looked up at the Blue Ranger, slowly becoming aware of the blaring noise that cut through their breakfast like a knife through butter. It was the Gap sensor. Just as Emily had feared, a Nighlok had crossed over into their world.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava looked down at her stomach as it rumbled loudly.

It had been a whole twenty four hours since she had actually eaten anything, and probably longer since she had seen anything or anyone that she recognized. Silently she was cursing herself for running off from the others yesterday, granted she and Jayden had argued - if you could call it that - but she should have known better than to just go off by herself.

Looking up at the ominous buildings, the little Samurai rubbed her hands over her arms. It wasn't exactly a brilliantly warm day, but it wasn't exactly freezing either, and the clothes that she wore were the same as the ones she had worn yesterday and slept in the previous night. They were worn, dirty and ripped in several places, possibly from where she had been running through the trees, hoping to come out onto a familiar path.

Her stomach churned wildly. She felt sick.

_**I wanna go home...**_ she whined thoughtfully, hugging herself and wandering away from another building that she did not recognize. Her father was probably out of his mind with worry, not to mention the other rangers. This had been the first time, in all of her entire life, that she had ever pulled a stupid silly stunt like this. _**Daddy is going to kill me!**_ She thought. _**And Jayden...**_

Ava's thoughts broke off at the mere mention of his name.

No, she was not going to worry about him; it was _his_ fault that she was out here in the first place. Why did he have to be so... so... _so stubborn_? Why couldn't he just have accepted the consequences of his actions? Did he _have_ to hurt her?

Having wandered over to a bench, Ava plopped herself down on the sturdy wooden poles, hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face in them. If Jayden had made the effort of wanting to kiss her for a long time, why couldn't he have made the effort of making the relationship work?

Why had he broken it off long before the relationship had even started? And what did this mean for their friendship?

_"Samurai together, friends forever,"_

_"It's Rangers together, Samurai forever!" Jayden corrected._

_"But we'll always be best friends, right?" Ava asked. "No matter what happens?"_

_Jayden smiled and nodded. "Of course. Friends forever!"_

Ava heaved a heavy sigh at the familiar memory that surfaced. She felt tears prick her eyes as she remembered that it wasn't so long ago this this memory had occurred. It had been the day that her father had assembled the other Rangers to fight alongside she and Jayden against Master Xandred and his Nighlok army.

"Friends forever..." she muttered under her breath. "Yeah, right!"

_**How am I gonna get home?**_ She thought miserably. She was hungry, cold and just wanted to refuge in her father's arms, where he would hold her and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

Ava wasn't sure how long she had sat in total silence, with her thoughts as her only company. But after what felt like hours, another presence entered her area, causing the Little Samurai to look up, sharply. A guy, no older than eighteen with soft black hair and sea green eyes, stood in front of her.

Consciously aware of his gaze, Ava bit her lip and looked down; he was pretty cute, but her father had always warned her about talking to strangers.

"Excuse me," the boy said, as he squatted down in front of her. "But are you alright?"

Ava shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze, but also refusing to answer his questions directly. She couldn't break anymore of her father's rules if she didn't speak to him.

"Hey, wait a minute," the boy gasped. "I know you!"

"You do?" Ava asked, looking up and tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, you live up at the Shiba house," the boy nodded with a smile, happy that he had gotten her to speak. "I deliver pizza there about three times a week. Deluxe Veggie Pizza, Extreme Pepperoni and three meat with turkey." he grimaced a bit.

Ava giggled. "Apparently turkey is awesome on a pizza," she answered.

"You don't agree?"

"I'm vegetarian," Ava smiled. "So the Deluxe veggie pizza is mine."

"Ah," the boy nodded, before standing and holding out his hand. "I'm Luke."

Ava smiled, took his hand and allowed him to help her back to her feet. "Ava!"

"Is everything OK, Ava?" Luke asked.

"No," Ava murmured. "I want to go home, but I don't know the way."

"You're lost?" Luke blinked.

Ava nodded. "Since last night," she whispered. "I had a miss-understanding with one of my friends, and stupidly run off without them. I tried to make it home but got lost in the forest. I managed to find my way back to the trail this morning and followed it, hoping it would lead me home, but it didn't, it brought me here."

"Oh, well, as you know, I'm a delivery boy," Luke smiled. "I've been all over town. If you want, I can take you home?"

Ava's eyes shone brightly at the prospect of going back to her father. "I would be so grateful," she nodded, happily.

"M'lady," Luke joked, offering her his arm.

Ava giggled and slid her's through it.

"Thank you kind sir," she said playing along.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava blushed, and smiled shyly as Luke turned to face her at the exact same time as her stomach growled. "Sorry," she apologized.

"I'm gonna go out on a wild guess and say you're hungry?" Luke chuckled.

"That obvious, huh?" she asked timidly.

Luke smiled. "You're cute when you're shy," he teased. "C'mon, I know a cool place that serves a half-decent meal."

"You don't have to do that," Ava said, shaking her head rapidly. "If you just take me home, I'll have breakfast with my te - I mean, with my friends."

"I know I don't have too," Luke nodded. "But I want too. I couldn't very well let someone like you starve."

"What do you mean 'someone like me'?" Ava frowned.

Luke smiled again. It was seemingly hypnotic and contagious, because every time he did smile, Ava couldn't help but smile back or stare at him. "Put it this way," he said. "I couldn't very well leave someone as cute as you to starve; it wouldn't be very charming of me!"

"How very prince charming of you," Ava giggled.

"I've always wanted to be someone's prince charming," Luke flirted.

Ava bit her lower lip trying to hide her grin. She'd always been a sucker for Cinderella. Her stomach growled again, leaving an even darker blush to rise in her cheeks. Luke chuckled, patted her hand, and led her further into town.

"C'mon," he said. "Before your stomach decides it wants to eat itself."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"She's playing hard to get," the Nighlok hissed at a young couple, both of whom had just wandered into his path. "And you're looking desperate!"

The young boy, who was no older than eighteen, gasped as he was blasted backwards away from his even younger companion.

"Luke!" Ava shouted, running over to where he landed. He seemed to be unconscious for he didn't answer her or move when she touched him. "What did you do?!" she shouted, looking up at the Nighlok.

"Why don't you find out?" the Nighlok laughed. "You're just a -"

"Surprise!"

Ava gasped and looked up as Jayden jumped over her, landed between her and the Nighlok, and pushed him away from her.

"Jayden!" the White ranger whispered, somewhat relieved to see him.

Jayden caught wind of her whisper, but didn't dare turn to face her. He wasn't sure if he could face her after what he had done to her, granted he was mad that she had run off alone, but he couldn't help but feel relieved that she was at least alive and safe.

"Samurai Rangers!" the Nighlok gasped as the rest of the team turned up. Each of them surprised to see Ava standing behind Jayden. "Why are you here? I've only been saying all the wrong things right!" the Nighlok said, before any of the others could call out to their friend.

"Talking smack about people is not cool!" Mike said, drawing the Nighlok's attention onto him.

"I know something about you!" the Nighlok said, zooming up to Mike and knocking him back a few steps. "You're bike had training wheels until you were ten!"

"What?" Mike frowned, as electrical energy pulsed through his suit and blasted him backwards.

"Mike!" Emily yelled. "Are you OK?"

Angrily, Mia and Kevin turned back to the Nighlok.

"What did you say to him?" the Pink ranger demanded.

"And you, Blue Ranger," the Nighlok added, running at Kevin next. "You're just booooring!"

Kevin grunted as his suit sparked and he was blasted backwards, just like Mike.

"Kevin!" Mia yelled.

"Your turn!" the Nighlok said to her.

Spinning around, Mia slashed down with her sword, but the Nighlok deflected the attack. "Lousy cook!" he said, causing Mia to stumble before she, just like Mike and Kevin, was blasted backwards.

"Mia!" Emily yelled after her friend. "I don't get how he's sending everyone flying. All he is doing is saying mean things!"

Taking a stand in front of Emily, Jayden activated his spin sword with his fire disk. "Keep your guard up," he instructed. "This one's tricky."

"C'mon, what tricks?" the Nighlok asked. "I'm just telling the truth! My motto is 'if the truth hurts. Excellent!'"

He rushed forward, until he was standing face to face with Jayden, knocking the Spin sword out of his hand before he even had a chance to use it. "You're a red faced liar, liar, pants on fire," he chanted. "You've got a secret!"

Jayden gasped, and next second, he was blasted backwards into a cement wall.

"Jayden!" Emily cried, as she turned back to Nighlok, only to realize that it was only her left standing. The others were down, and she still hadn't figured out how the Nighlok was hurting his victims.

Laughing at his victims, the Nighlok turned onto Emily. "Looks like we're down to you!" he said, ready for another attack.

"Your words won't hurt me," Emily snapped. "Jayden's got nothing to hide! You're just a mean-mouthed monster, spouting nothing but nonsense!"

She slashed at him with her sword.

The Nighlok ducked around and away from her.

"Nonsense?" he repeated. "If my words weren't true they wouldn't hurt like they do! Here's a word that'll send you flying: Airhead..."

Nothing happened to Emily, except for the fact that she continued to hammer at him with her spin sword.

"Maybe I didn't say it loud enough," the Nighlok shouted, jumping over her next attack. "You're a clumsy fool!" Again, Emily was unaffected. "What? Impossible!"

Again, Emily attacked with her sword, causing sparks to fly and forcing the Nighlok backwards.

"Klutz!"

Hit.

"Dimwit!"

Hit.

"Whiner!"

Hit.

Mike frowned as he watched Emily battle alone.

"Why can't he hurt her?" he asked, curiously.

"Ah, here's one that'll do the trick," the Nighlok growled, desperate now. "Everyone likes to tease you!"

But, once again, Emily was unaffected.

"Earth slicer!" she commanded. "Take that!" she yelled, throwing the boomerang-like weapon at him, and tossing him through the air.

"I cut people down, not you!" the Nighlok complained as he hit the ground. "What is her deal? I better go vent somewhere else!" he sighed, disappearing back to the Netherworld through a gap.

Emily slid to a stop as he disappeared. "Yeah, go and run you loud mouth!" she shouted. "I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of that creep."

Ava sighed as the monster disappeared, and her friends, after regrouping, turned to face her.

"Av!" Emily cried, demorphing and rushing to the White ranger, hugging her tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"It's OK, Em," Ava said, patting her friends back, but happy to in the arms of someone she knew.

"Ava, where've you been?" Mia asked. "Your dad is frantic..."

Ava nodded; she had figured he would be. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to worry you guys. I got lost trying to find my way home."

"Why did you leave?" Mike asked.

Jayden tensed, but Ava didn't even pass him a glance.

"I didn't feel well," Ava answered. "I must have had too much sugar."

"You had _one_ ball of cotton candy!"

Ava smiled and shrugged. "Whatever the case," she said. "I felt sick to my stomach! I just wanted to go home, I understand now that it was foolish of me to leave without tell you. Please don't be mad at me!" she offered him her most irresistible look, causing him to sigh and cave.

"Fine," Mike sighed. "Just _don't_ do it again!"

"I won't," Ava nodded. "I promise. In fact, you owe Luke a thank you,"

"Who?" Mia asked.

Ava looked down at the boy beside her. "Luke, are you OK? Can you hear me?" she asked, the words running off of her tongue as she frantically shook the delivery boy.

Luke mumbled something unprounceable, and opened his eyes. "When did we reverse roles?" he asked. "I thought I was Prince Charming?"

Ava smiled and shook her head. "You're still Prince Charming," she nodded. "You just saved me from that Nigh - that monster," she said, quickly catching and saving herself.

"I did?"

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "You were incredibly brave, and I thank you for the save!"

Luke grinned. "Pleasure is all mine, M'lady."

Ava giggled as Mia and Emily exchanged looks and smirks, as Ava and Luke flirted playfully back and forth.

Irritated with the whole situation, Jayden cleared his throat and stepped forward, just as Ava helped Luke back to his feet.

"Oh," Luke said, noticing that he and Ava were not alone. "Uh..." he murmured, recognizing each of them as the people Ava lived with. "I see you found your friends?" he asked, turning back to her.

"More like they found me," Ava nodded. "Anyway, as I was saying, you guys owe Luke a thank you. If he hadn't found me this morning, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"Thanks mate," Mike said, clapping Luke on the shoulder. "You have no idea how worried we've all been."

"Hey, no problem," Luke said with a smile at Ava. "The least I could do, like I've said before, I've always wanted to be a damsel's Prince charming!"

Ava giggled as her face warmed. "I'm glad I could help you fulfill your fantasy,"

Luke smiled and winked at her.

Biting back a growl, Jayden reached forward and took Ava by the wrist. "Thanks for your help," he said to Luke. "But we can take it from here."

"Oh, I'd be happy to drop her off," Luke said, hoping to spend a little more time with Ava. "I mean, if you're OK with it?" He added to her.

Ava smiled and nodded. But before she could say anything, Jayden did.

"She's coming with us!"

"Jayden!" Ava snapped, ripping her hand away from his. "I'll see you guys later," she added to the others. "I'd be happy for you to take me home, Luke."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Still seething that Ava had refused to come home with them, Jayden all but stormed back into the Shiba house, the others, while bruised and battered, following, cautiously, after him.

"Did something happen?" Ji asked, also seeing the change in his young charge's attitude.

"Yeah," Kevin nodded. "We found the Nighlok..."

Ji nodded.

"But that's not all we found," Mia added, quickly.

"Oh?" Ji questioned.

"We found Ava," Emily answered.

Ji turned quickly to his rangers. "You did?" he asked. They nodded. "Where is she?"

"With _Luke_," Jayden spat the name.

"Who?"

"The pizza delivery boy," Mike supplied a more understandable answer, whilst Emily and Mia frowned in Jayden's direction. "He found her this morning," he added in explanation. "They were on their way to get some breakfast when the Nighlok attacked. Luke offered to bring Ava home; she agreed and left with him."

Swallowing his rage, Jayden turned to his Mentor. "When she comes home, maybe you could explain the whole 'no-contact' rule to her," he said. "She seems to have forgotten it!"

"Dude, what's your deal?" Mike asked.

"Just trying to keep our secret safe," Jayden said. "Ava can't afford to be dating, especially outside of the team; she doesn't exactly have the most expendable lifestyle."

Mia exchanged a look with Emily and smirked.

"I think they made a cute couple," she said.

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "And besides, they're not dating," she reassured her Red ranger. "He's just buying her breakfast and bringing her home."

"Isn't that a date?" Kevin asked.

Mia pursed her lips and shook her head. "Lunch is a date," she said. "Dinner is a date. Breakfast? No! Breakfast is just breakfast!"

Kevin frowned and shook his head, before turning back to Mentor.

"Anyway, about this Nighlok," he said.

Jayden nodded, thankful for the change in conversation, he didn't want to think about Ava and her new found friend - boyfriend was more like it - "He was able to target us verbally. Like some truths that hit a little too close to home," he looked around at his team-mates.

However, before Ji could explain the nature of the new Nighlok, the front door opened, causing each of the rangers to turn and see Ava hurrying inside. She was grinning from ear-to-ear, and glancing over her shoulder as the sound of an engine disappeared from the yard. Closing the door, the White ranger turned to find herself the centre of everyone's attention.

"Um... hi?" she said, smiling sheepishly.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After a stern talking to from her father about running off alone, Ava sat, cross-legged on her stool, listening as her father explained about the new Nighlok's nature.

"This Nighlok is a bully," he said. "He likes to hurt people's feelings. He channels mental pain, and turns it into physical pain."

"He caught me off guard," Mia said immediately. "It won't work again."

"Listen," Mike said. "I may have had training wheels, but I didn't need them!"

"And i'm a good cook, right?" Mia asked.

"Yeah," the others agreed, quickly, almost a little too quickly, but Mia didn't notice.

"At least you don't blow up the kitchen," Ava giggled. "Like someone I know..." she turned, teasingly, towards Jayden, almost forgetting the incident that was the reason for her running away. However, the moment he caught her gaze, the scene at the amusement park came flooding back to her, and she turned away, as it felt like someone had, once again, taken a knife to her heart.

Kevin paused. "Am I _boring_ to you guys?" he asked.

"Your extremely disciplined and orderly, Kevin," Jayden reassured him, as Ava and Mike exchanged looks, both biting back the urge to laugh at the monotone voice. "It's a great quality for a Samurai!"

"Yeah," Kevin grinned and nodded. "You're right. It is."

"That Nighlok hurt a lot of people," Ava pointed out, remembering back to the fight. "But the only person that didn't seem affected by his words was you, Em," she said, turning to her new best friend. "How?"

Mike nodded. "That's a good question," he agreed. "That Nighlok knew exactly how to hurt us... why couldn't he hurt her?"

"Perhaps Emily has some special power," Ji suggested.

"Oooh!" Ava giggled. "Emily, you just became my new favourite superhero. A true Samurai with super powers!"

Mia smiled at the White ranger, as Emily brushed her off, bashfully.

"It's nothing great like that," she said. "I was teased and called names a lot as a kid, it made me sad, but my sister always told me to pretend that the person teasing me didn't say anything at all, and it really worked. So when the Nighlok said those things to me, it was like, he hadn't even said them."

"Then why are you always putting yourself down?" Mike frowned.

Ava looked lost. "Huh? What did I miss?" she asked.

"She keeps saying that she is hopeless,"

"Who?"

"Emily," Mike said, slightly frustrated. "It makes no sense! Unless, of course, that is really what you think of yourself!"

Emily stared, broken-hearted at the Green ranger. "Well, no," she whispered. "But -"

"Mike," Kevin sighed.

"I'm sorry," Emily whimpered, before getting to her feet and racing out.

Ava sighed and turned to glare at Mike. "And here I thought this team only had room for one insensitive jerk!" she snapped, before jumping to her feet and running out after her friend, leaving not just one guilty ranger behind, but two.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava smiled as she poured a decent amount of cat treats into Cheetah's bowl and placed it on the floor for the feline. The cat purred, weaved herself between Ava's legs and dipped her head towards the treats, as Ava scratched her behind the ears.

"I missed you too," the White ranger said. "I won't do it again. I promise. One good thing did come from it, mind," she added.

Cheetah purred and looked at her human, her oval green eyes seemed to widen, a notion that made Ava giggle.

"I met someone new," Ava said. "I don't know what'll come of us, but I have to admit he is really sweet and kinda cute."

"Ava?"

The girl in question stiffed at the voice that had always made her heart race.

Jayden had arrived in the kitchen, well; he stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame watching her interact with the ginger feline they had adopted. He had come to talk, not about why she had run away, but because of the reason she had gone.

"Ava..."

Again she didn't answer him.

Frustrated with her lack of response, Jayden stormed towards her, grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "Ava Brooks, I'm talking to you!"

"Just because _you're_ talking to _me_," said Ava, pulling her arm from his grip. "Doesn't mean _I_ want to talk to _you_!"

"Ava, we have to talk,"

Ava shook her head. "No, we don't," she said. "There's nothing to say."

"I think there is,"

"Like what?" Ava asked. "You made yourself pretty clear, Jayden. Obviously being a Power Ranger means more to you than anything..."

"That's not true,"

Ava shook her head. "What else means more to you than the survival and protection of the human world?"

"You,"

Ava scoffed.

"You do, Ava!" Jayden said. "Look, I may have said we don't have time for a relationship or anything like that, but that doesn't condemn how I feel about you! I do care about you, and I really do lov -"

"Don't," Ava whispered, turning away from him.

"What?" he frowned.

"Don't say something you don't mean," Ava warned him. "I wouldn't want you to make a second mistake!" she added, brushing past him and leaving the kitchen.

Jayden groaned and looked down at Cheetah, she had been sitting between him and Ava, watching them curiously, now she was just staring at him with a sort of judgmental look.

"Don't look at me like that," he snapped. "I'm just doing what I think is best!"

Cheetah hissed at him and disappeared after Ava.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"This is great, Mol," a brunette said as she hurried back to the car, adding more and more shopping bags into the boot. "We got so many good deals! Tomorrow we're shop for shoes, and save more money!"

The blonde, named Molly, nodded and turned away, collecting the rest of the bags. She was cut off, nevertheless, by the Nighlok monster that had returned.

"Save more money?" the monster said. "You shopaholics could empty a mall and still not be happy!"

There was a blast of wind and the two friends were thrown backwards into the trunk of their car.

"Oh yeah," the Nighlok laughed as he walked away. "Still got it!"

"Stop right there!" Jayden shouted as he and the others arrived.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a bully," Mia said.

"Yup," the Nighlok nodded. "Nicest thing anyone has ever said about me!"

"Well, we're about to give you the nicest thing someone ever could!" Ava retorted. "Samuraizer! Go, Go, Samurai!"

She drew her family symbol in front of her, and swiped it through with her morpher to activate it.

"Samurai ranger, ready!" the six chanted once they had morphed into their respective colours. "Rangers together, Samurai forever!"

"More like heartbroken forever," the Nighlok hissed. "I know the truth about you, and I'm really gonna let you have it!"

"You should never underestimate a Samurai," Mia said. "Your sneaky tricks won't work this time!"

"Yeah," Kevin agreed. "We're onto you. We can handle anything you throw at us!"

The Nighlok raced up the steps towards Kevin. "Mentor's little pet!" he snarled, blasted the Blue ranger backwards.

"Kevin!" Ava squealed, as the Blue ranger landed behind her. "Leave him alone!" she snapped at the Nighlok.

"Red ranger doesn't love you anymore!"

Ava gasped as she was blasted backwards, eliciting a groan from Kevin as she landed on top of him. "Sorry," she apologized, rolling off of him and getting back to her feet. "That was _not_ fun!" she complained, shaking her head.

"Guys," Mike gasped. "Don't let him get to you!"

"That's easier said than done," Ava retorted, getting back to her feet and helping Kevin up too.

Jayden, who had heard what the Nighlok had said to Ava, shook his head. "This isn't good," he said, turning away as Ava and Kevin rejoined the others.

"Let's find the mute button on this guy!" Mia said, pointing her sword at the monster.

"Go away, weaklings," the Nighlok shouted. "My business is with the Yellow ranger!"

Ava frowned and turned to her best friend.

"I think you've rubbed him the wrong way, Em," she said.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones," Emily shrugged. "But words will never hurt me!"

"Yeah, you tell him, Emy!" Ava grinned.

Emily nodded and set off after the Nighlok, as the others dealt with the Moogers that had been called in to help.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Watch out, Emily," Mike shouted as he run at the Nighlok. "I've got a point that needs to be made!" he swung his Forest spear around his head, "Leaf storm!" he shouted as several thousand leaves whipped around him.

Emily dived aside as the leaves hit the monster, and Mike jumped over him, holding his spear across his chest.

"Those leaves were a bush league move, you split pea punk!"

"Snow storm!" Ava shouted, activating her spin sword and attacking with a whirl of white energy. Mike, who had seen the attack coming, kicked the monster in the back and sent him stumbling straight into the blast.

The three friends regrouped as the monster shook off the snow that covered most of his body.

"Now that was cold," the Nighlok sneered.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Emily said, nodding at Ava. The White ranger grinned and pulled out her Samuraizer, just as the Yellow ranger did.

"Symbol power!" the two girls commanded. "Element of Earth! Element of Snow! Combine - Hailstone!"

Both Ava and Emily activated the symbol they had created, and blasted it at the monster, embedding the rock solid pieces of ice in his mouth. He mumbled indescribable and unpronounceable words.

"Haha, now we're rocking!" Mike said, high fiving both girls.

"Yep!" Emily agreed.

"Get him, Em," Ava nodded.

Emily smiled and approached the Nighlok, as Mike and Ava stood, shoulder-to-shoulder, behind her.

"I've got nothing nice to say to you," Emily said, walking forwards. "So let's call it a day..." she activated her spin sword with her earth disk. "Spin sword! Earth symbol strike!" she yelled, drawing her family symbol in the air, before slicing through the Nighlok with deliberate force.

The Nighlok screamed a muffled yell as he was blasted backwards whilst yellow energy rippled through him; he momentarily made it back to his feet, before keeling over once more and exploding.

"Yeah!" Mike cheered. "We did it!"

"No," Ava said, as she jumped up to hug the Yellow ranger. "Emily did it! Your sister'd be proud of you, Emy, I know she would!"

Emily smiled and hugged Ava back. "Thanks, Av," she replied as the others rejoined them.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava smiled as she walked arm-in-arm with Emily, passed the lake and towards the main road leading to the outskirts of town. It was the road that led from the city out into the woods and crossed paths with the trail that led to the Shiba house, the only reason she knew this was because it was the same route Luke had taken earlier that morning when he dropped her off.

"What are you smiling about?" Mike teased, cropping up beside the White ranger.

"Nothing," Ava answered.

"Yeah, right," Mike laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "You're thinking about what's his name? Luke!"

"No, i'm not!" Ava defended, despite the fact that she was blushing crimson.

"Then why is your face the colour of Jayden's ranger suit?"

Ava chewed her lower lip. "Fine," she caved. "I was thinking about Luke... but only in reference!"

"Oh?"

"We passed this place this morning," Ava explained. "We came here after he brought me breakfast, and then he took me home!"

"And what did you talk about?" Mia asked with a slight smile.

"Nothing important," Ava shrugged.

"Are you going to see him again?" Emily probed, missing the look that crossed Jayden's face. The entire team had stopped walking now and was facing Ava, who was becoming increasingly embarrassed as she was put further on the spot.

"If Mike continues to order pizza, then yes," Ava nodded.

Emily rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Av," she sighed. "Did you get his number? Did you give him yours?"

Ava nodded faintly.

Emily and Mia squealed.

"Are you going to call him?" Mia asked.

"I dunno," Ava said. "Should I?"

Mia shrugged. "That depends..."

"On?"

"Do you like him?"

"He's kinda cute," Ava smiled, bashfully.

"Well, he definitely found you cute," Mia nodded. "If the flirting was anything to go by!"

Ava gasped. "We weren't flirting!" she defended.

"'_You were incredibly brave, Luke,'_" Mike teased, mimicking Ava's voice from that morning. "'_You just saved me from that monster. You're still my Prince Charming!'_"

Ava covered her face as it grew warmer, while Mia, Emily and Kevin chuckled at Mike, and Jayden was left to glower at the rippling surface of the lake behind him.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N: **It has taken me the majority of three days to write this chapter. I hope it was worth it. Leave a review and let me know.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, October 07, 2012 at 01:30am**


	7. Chapter 7: A Fish Out of Water

**Author's Note:** If this episode didn't have the Swordfish zord in it, then I would have deleted it. It was an absolute nightmare to write. But I managed to include some decent scenes.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too:** Yosdellillan Skywalker** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Breakfast. Most important meal of the day... at least according to Ji and Kevin that was.

Anyway, as said above, it was breakfast time at the Shiba house; Mia was in the kitchen, cooking, or at least attempting to cook, while Mike, Jayden, Emily and Ava were sat in the living room watching as Kevin added another spoonful of flakes to the bowl on top of the scales.

"What are you doing?" Ava frowned at the Blue ranger, as Cheetah jumped up onto her lap and pawed at the toast in her human's hands. "Ah! You can't eat it!" the White ranger scolded, pouring a bowl of milk and setting it on the table for the feline.

Kevin looked up at her, before realizing that she wasn't the only observer that he had. "There is a right way to do everything within the Samurai code," he answered.

"Wow, you're so wound up," said Mike, "it's a wonder that you can digest your food."

"Hey, I came up with a new recipe," said Mia as she entered the living room carrying a tray. She placed it on the table, earning a hiss from Cheetah as she moved his milk bowl and set it on the floor, before turning back to the team. "Everyone loves Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, right?" they nodded. "So for breakfast what could be better than a PB&J omelette?" she removed the lid to reveal a pile of gloop, splatted on the silver plate.

Ava covered her mouth, as the minimal amount of breakfast she had already eaten, threatened to come back up.

"Darn, i'm stuffed," Mike said, rubbing his stomach. "Rain check?"

Mia nodded and looked to Kevin.

The Blue ranger grabbed his bowl of flakes from the scale, emptied them into his breakfast bowl and poured a decent amount of milk on top of them, much to the amusement of Mike and Ava.

"Precision and discipline, huh?" Mike asked.

Kevin shot him a look as he spooned a second helping into his mouth, as Ji came rushing into the room, looking urgent about something.

"Rangers, I have good news," he said. "The missing Swordfish zord has been spotted at the beach!"

"A swordfish?" Mia questioned.

"Is that the one that mommy used to tell me stories about?" Ava asked. "The one that went missing in action years ago?"

"Yes, Ava," Ji nodded. "If we don't catch it now, who knows when we will get another chance."

The gap sensor sounded.

"A Nighlok attack," Ji murmured.

Ava shook her head. "There is no way that's a ccoincidence," she said, looking up at her dad. "Is it possible for Master Xandred to know too?"

"It is very possible," Ji answered. "You think he's sent the Nighlok to distract us?"

Ava nodded and turned to Jayden.

"Kevin," the Red ranger said, addressing his second in command. "We'll take care of the Nighlok, but I want you to go catch that Swordfish zord. Are you up for a solo mission?"

"Up for it?" Kevin repeated. "I've waited my whole life for it!"

"With your mastery of symbol power over water," Jayden nodded. "I'm confident you'll capture that zord."

Ji handed him a white power disk. "Use this," he instructed. "To capture the power of the Swordfish."

Kevin nodded, took the disk, and hurried out to the black SUV that was parked out front, leaving the other Rangers to head off into the city to investigate the disturbance.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Where's the Nighlok?" Mike asked as he and the others rushed into the underground garage on the otherside of town.

"Oh no!" Ava said rushing to the aid of a civilian. He was passed out on the ground in the middle of the room. "Are you alright?" she asked kneeling beside him.

"He can barely move," Mike said as the guy managed to roll over onto his back and stare up at them.

Jayden frowned as a foul order reached his senses.

"What's that smell?" he asked, looking around.

"Hey, you saying I've got a certain 'air' about me?" a gruff voice growled. Looking up, Ava spotted a green covered monster stalking towards them.

Moving away from the man, Jayden held up his morpher.

"Samuraizer!" he said, as the others followed suit.

"Go, Go Samurai!"

They morphed and raced towards the monster.

"When you sniff my funky smell," the Nighlok said, cutting them down before they had a chance to touch him. "You'll say i'm a knockout!" he kicked Mike in the chest and sent him rolling backwards. "One whiff of my breath will leave you feeling down in the dumps..."

"No thanks I'll pass," said Mike, spinning his Forest spear over the Nighlok's head.

"But I insist," the monster rumbled, breathing into Mike's face. Green smog engulfed the Green ranger, causing him to stagger backwards and demorph, clutching his chest.

"Mike!" Emily yelled, rushing to his side. "Mike, are you OK?"

Reaching their friend's sides, Mia dropped to her knees beside Emily and Mike, as Ava and Jayden took a stand in front of them and faced the Nighlok.

"That stink immobilized him," Mia said.

"C'mon, Ava!" Jayden said, leading her into battle.

Ava nodded and followed him, she wielded her spin sword at the monster and ducked under a punch he aimed at her.

"Garlic and Onions is all I eat," he growled, deflecting Jayden's sword and rushing him backwards towards a near-by car. "Pickled toothpaste is a real treat! But I haven't brushed my teeth in ages!" he lifted the Red ranger off of his feet and slammed him down onto the front of the car.

"Hey!" Ava shouted, as the Nighlok raised his arm ready to smash Jayden further into the car, pausing at shout, the Nighlok turned his attention onto the White ranger who hit him with a blizzard attack from her Spin sword.

Using the Nighlok's distraction to his advantage, Jayden rolled out from underneath him and stumbled over to the side of the building. The Nighlok growled in frustration and aimed its stink breath at the Red ranger.

"Look out!" Ava said, colliding with her friend and pushing him aside. The Green smog surrounded her as the monster rushed at her, throwing her over the edge of the building and crashing to the construction site below; the second she hit the ground, Ava demorphed and clutched her chest and throat as it felt like her entire system was on fire.

Upon hearing a yell, Ava looked up to see Jayden and the Nighlok hurtling towards her. She squeaked and barely managed to roll aside before they both hit the ground. The Nighlok got back to his feet unharmed, while Jayden staggered back to his own, a clear sign that his energy was coming to an end.

"Hey, take a breather," the Nighlok snarled, puffing out another green smog, which engulfed Jayden, rendering him back to his civilian form.

"Hey!" Emily yelled as she arrived from the building above.

"Back off!" Mia shouted as she followed behind the Yellow ranger.

Both remaining rangers standing raced towards their friends, Emily helping Ava back towards Jayden where she and Mia could protect them both.

"You really are a stinker," Mia said, glowering up at the Nighlok.

"C'mere," the monster said, waving her in.

Gripping her Spin sword, Mia rushed at the monster, attacking him and avoiding his own attacks. She staggered backwards after a hit to the chest, and caught Emily, who had left Jayden and Ava's side to help her Pink ranger friend.

"... Oh, way, I could rumble up a nice juicy burp," the Nighlok said, as Emily kicked him back a few steps. "Here it comes!" he said, puffing out his last smog attack and hitting the last two remaining rangers.

Emily and Mia choked and gagged on the foul stench as they were blasted backwards into Jayden and Ava, allowing the monster time to run off.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava coughed as her breathing started to come in short gasps, ever since she had inhaled that Nighlok's smog her body temperature had started to rise and her breathing had become very labored, she didn't know how the others to feeling, but figuring they had inhaled the same stuff she had, she could only guess that they felt the same.

Rolling onto her side, the White ranger peered through her heavy eyelids at the bed next to her's; it was the one that Jayden occupied. It wasn't by choice that her father had put her next to him, more like a force of habit, but Ava couldn't really blame him, ever since she was a little girl she had gone running to Jayden when she felt sick.

She had always said that he made her feel better; so, whenever she had a fever, or a cold, or even the flu, Jayden had always been there to look after her. Then, if there was a time that they were both sick, they were always housed in the same bed and room, mostly to stop the infection from spreading, but also because they took refuge in one another's company.

"Jayden," she wheezed, reaching over and prodding his arm. His skin was warm to the touch.

Painfully, Jayden turned to face her.

"Yeah?" he coughed, as he pressed the ice pack to his head. He was sweating like crazy, and could only assume it was from the fever he had managed to acquire.

"My tummy hurts..."

"You're going to be OK," Jayden promised, somewhat glad that she was coming to him, rather than _Luke_, but then again, she couldn't very well go to Luke with this type of sickness. She couldn't tell him where she had managed to catch her fever, to do that she would have to reveal her Samurai secret to him; so, unfortunately, he was the only person she could go to. "Try and get some sleep..."

"Promise you won't leave?"

Jayden smiled. He didn't care if she was mad at him, he didn't care if she was going against his wishes and dating Luke, and he most certainly didn't care if he was pushing the boundaries that had formed between them since the night of their kiss. All he cared about right now was Ava.

"I'll never leave you, Av," he whispered as he caught her hand within his own and squeezed it. "I love you..."

Ava nodded faintly, although she was no longer conscious of what she was nodding too. Her mind had shut down, her eyes had closed and she had slipped further into the dream world.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ji sighed as he returned to the bedroom where the Rangers were resting, but no matter how bad the other rangers were the first bed he went for was his daughter's. A smile graced his lips as he saw that Ava was sleeping, rather peacefully, but it wasn't the fact that she was asleep that made him smile, it was the fact that it seemed she had turned to Jayden for comfort, there was still hope for them.

Taking a cloth from the side table, Ji dipped it into the cool water bowl, wrung it out and then dabbed Ava's face with it. She was red and blotchy, and if the small whimpers were anything to go by, in a serious amount of pain.

"Daddy," she cried.

"I'm right here, Av," Ji answered, pressing the cool cloth against her cheek, before looking around at the other rangers. They were all restless, tossing and turning as they tried to sleep, but sleep was impossible to come by at this moment in time.

Plus, he knew that he had to be diplomatic and look after each of the rangers, they were, after all, his responsibility now, but he had never been able to handle Ava being ill.

Wringing out the cloth again, Ji folded it and placed it upon Ava's forehead as he rolled her over onto had back. Her hand fell from Jayden's, and Ji tucked it under the blanket as he pulled it up to his daughter's chin, completely concealing her tiny body from view. He sighed and checked her temperature, before jumping at the sound of the Gap sensor.

"No, not now," he whispered, as the Rangers cringed away from the noise. Quickly reaching for his gold Samuraizer, Ji left the room and contacted Kevin, to alert him to the attacking, however, the moment he left the room, Jayden struggled out of bed and stumbled towards the door. "Jayden, what are you doing?"

"You heard the gap sensor," Jayden winced. "There's a Nighlok to fight!" he groaned as he fell to one knee, and allowed Mentor to help him back up.

"You can't defeat a Nighlok in your condition," Ji scolded.

"Maybe not," Jayden retorted. "But at least I can slow him down."

"Just wait until Kevin comes home with the Swordfish zord," Ji argued. "I think it can cure all of your fevers. Kevin..." he started, turning back to the Samuraizer, before it was ripped from his possession by the Red ranger.

"Kevin," he sighed. "Mentor's exaggerating. Don't worry about me; stay focused on your mission. Didn't randomly choose you for this, I chose you because you're committed and disciplined, I know you can overcome any obstacle..."

"_I won't let you down,"_ Kevin swore.

Jayden nodded and closed the phone, handing it back to Ji. "I'll take care of the Nighlok," he said. "Just make sure Ava and the others are safe," and without waiting for an answer, he stumbled towards the front doors.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

_"The battle's not over yet, Ava,"_

_Ava blinked and looked around. She didn't know where she was or who was speaking to her, the room in which she had awoken was dark, she could vaguely make out shapes through the darkness, but there was nothing that could verify exactly where she was._

_"But mommy..."_

_The White ranger frowned and spun around in the darkness. She recognized _that_ voice. It was her own... but there was something about it that didn't seem right; the voice belonged to a toddler, and she was _not_ a toddler, at least, not anymore._

_"We must continue to fight, Ava, it is the only way..."_

_"But..."_

_"A Samurai never gives up, remember that..."_

_"But Lauren -"_

_"Has to leave. It's not safe for her!"_

_"And Jayden?"_

_"He'll stay with you,"_

_Pushing herself to her feet, Ava held her hands out in front of her as she edged her way towards something that she could use, something that she could creep along to follow the voices. They seemed so clear, but were not in the same room as she. Brushing against a rough, yet smooth surface, the White ranger crept along it, until her hand brushed against a door._

_It slid open._

_She frowned. That was weird._

_Peering into the second room, Ava gasped at the sight before her._

_Sitting on a bed were two people, both of whom she recognized: One was herself, only she was three years old, and the other was an older woman, her mother, Evelyn Brooks._

_"And Daddy?"_

_"Yes, Ava, and daddy will stay," Evelyn nodded._

_"But why do you have to go?"_

_"Because it is my duty," Evelyn answered. "Just like it will be yours one day."_

_Tears appeared in three year old Ava's eyes as she threw herself into mother's arms. "I don't wanna lose you," she sobbed._

_"You won't lose me, Ava," Evelyn promised. "I'll always be with you, even when you can't see me."_

_"What do you mean if I can't see you?" Ava frowned, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "I can always see you!"_

_Evelyn sighed and picked up her daughter, cradling her close to her chest. "My dear sweet, Avalon," she whispered, kissing her forehead. "You must follow your heart. It whispers... so listen closely."_

_Sixteen year old Ava smiled at the memory, before withdrawing into the dark room behind her. She had no idea why she was dreaming moment in time, she had an inkling that it was important, or she wouldn't have dreamt it._

_"Or maybe you're just missing your mom," she muttered to herself, sliding the door closed and turning back to the darkness. "Now... how to get home!"_

_**Follow your heart. It whispers... so listen closely.**_

_Ava frowned and looked down at herself. Follow her heart? What the hell did that mean? Biting back a yawn, the White ranger felt her eye lids start to close again, she tried to fight the oncoming wave of tiredness, but her body was so exhausted from the fear she had contracted from the Nighlok poison that resistance was impossible._

_With a heavy thump, Ava hit the floor, unconscious._

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava opened her eyes. She was staring at the ceiling. How? She vaguely remembered looking at Jayden when she had fallen asleep, he had, after all, been the one to tell her to sleep. Glancing to the side, the White ranger let out a startled gasp as she noticed that Jayden was in fact missing.

"Daddy!"

Startled by her screams, Mike, Mia and Emily shot up in bed and looked over to where Ava lay, bypassing the empty bed beside her. The door opened, and Ji rushed in. "What is it, baby?" he asked, frantically, afraid that something worse had happened to her.

"Jayden," Ava said, pointing at the empty bed. "Where is Jayden?"

"He went to fight the Nighlok," Ji sighed.

"No, he can't face him alone," Ava said, kicking back the blankets.

"You need to rest," Ji insisted, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Ava shook her head. "No, what I need to do is help Jayden!" she protested.

"Ava, you're sick," Ji said, firmly. "Jayden wants you to rest!"

"Jayden want's a lot of things, Daddy," Ava answered. "But he can't always get his own way. He promised me that he would be here when I woke up, he's not, so if I can't get my own way, why should he get his?"

Mike nodded, and pushed back his blankets. "Ava's right," he agreed. "If Jayden is fit enough to fight, then so are we!"

"Ava, please," Ji begged, trying to force his daughter to sit back down, as she and the others got to their feet. They were unstable, but determined to follow their leader.

"I can't, Daddy," Ava said, with a small smile. "Mommy once told me that a we must continue to fight, that it is the only way..."

Ji sighed. "Your mother -" he started.

"Was right," Ava interrupted. "We are Samurai," she said. "And a Samurai never gives up!" she glanced over her shoulder at the others. "C'mon guys!" she smiled, leading them towards the front door.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"The eyes have it," the Nighlok laughed, blasting Jayden with his laser beams. The red ranger groaned as his suit sparked and disappeared, leaving him defenseless. Falling to his knees, completely drained, Jayden reached for his Spin blade and pushed himself, unsteadily, back to his feet. "Watch out, Ranger, a third strike of my super stink might put you out for good!"

_**A Samurai never gives up!**_ Jayden thought as he shouldered his Spin sword, however, before he could attack the Nighlok was sent staggering backwards as a wall of white snow hit him dead on. Stunned at the interruption, Jayden turned to see Ava, Mike, Mia and Emily arrive behind him.

"Hey, back off, stink breath!" Ava shouted as she lowered her Samuraizer. "You forgot about us! Jayden!" she added, rushing to her friend's side.

"You shouldn't be here," Jayden scolded. "You're sick!"

"Yeah, and you're fit as a fiddle," Mike retorted as he clutched his chest in pain.

Snarling in anger, the Nighlok got back to his feet and shook off the snow that covered his body. "White Ranger!" he hissed, pointing at her. "You'll pay for that. No one invited you to the party!"

"Too bad," Ava yelled. "You hurt my friends! So I hurt you! It's only fair!"

The Nighlok's eyes glowed brightly, before he fired several more beams at the already drained rangers, but, before the attack could hit, the beams were deflected by blue dragon that swerved in front of the others, before returning, and collapsing back into Kevin's hand.

"Well that stunk," the Nighlok complained.

"Did someone order the fish?" Kevin joked.

Ava smiled and sighed in relief.

Kevin held up the power disk from that morning, only difference now was the fact that the disk was no longer white, but blue. Loading the disk onto his Hydro bow, Kevin shot it into the air, causing a cloud of water to rain down on the city.

"Not purified rain," the Nighlok yelled in annoyance. "There goes my stink power!"

Meanwhile, the rangers smiled as the water droplets washed over them, easing away their fevers and leaving them feeling more energized that ever.

"It worked," Mia smiled. "That swordfish healed us!"

"That fish is off the hook!" Mike grinned.

Ava giggled as she closed her eyes at the cool rush of water on her warm skin. "Now that feels better," she said, pushing herself up and falling into line with the others. "How about we clear the air?" she suggested.

"Best thing I've heard all day," Kevin nodded.

"Samuraizers! Go, Go Samurai!" the six teens commanded, drawing their symbols in the air and activating them. "Samurai Ranger, ready! Rangers together, Samurai forever!" they chanted once morphed, before running into battle, their Spin swords drawn.

"So, back for more, I see," the Nighlok laughed. "You rangers can't defeat me; my stanky aura will make you say goodbye to your senses!"

"Not in this lifetime," Ava yelled, ducking under a hit and jumping backwards to avoid another. "It's time for you to chill out! Spin sword, Blizzard blast!" she activated her power disk on her spin sword and slashed the brightly coloured white energy at the monster; there was an explosion of white powder, and when it cleared the Nighlok was left looking a little less Green and a little more White.

Emily giggled.

"That is one ugly looking snowman," she pointed out.

"Meh, my mommy always did say I had a strange imagination," Ava shrugged, before turning to Kevin. "I'm think wash out, how about you?" she asked.

Kevin nodded. "Good idea," he agreed, placing the swordfish spin disk on his blade. He activated it. "Spin Sword, Dragon splash! If anyone's ever needed a bath, it is this freak!" he yelled, slashing down with his blade.

"Whoa!" the Nighlok yelled, as he rolled backwards. The snow had melted and washed away, but he was left smoking after the purified water hit him. "That water is so freezing it's got me wheezing!"

Taking a stand in front of the Blue and White rangers, Jayden called upon the help of his Fire smasher.

"Jayden, use my swordfish disk," Kevin suggested, holding it out to his leader.

"You do it," Jayden said. "I'll hold it steady."

Kevin nodded and grasped the handle of the fire smasher, together; both he and Jayden swung it over head, and then leveled it with the monster, before transforming it into the cannon mode. Once completed, the others placed their disks inside it, and stood back, as the Blue and Red rangers ripped into the Nighlok with their combined powers.

"That's one down," Kevin said, as the monster returned as a Mega-monster.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Lion Foldingzord!"

"Penguin Foldingzord!"

"Dragon Foldingzord!"

"Bear Foldingzord!"

"Ape Foldingzord!"

"Turtle Foldingzord!"

"Mega mode power!"

Leaping into the air, the six rangers materialized inside their respective zords, and charged at the Nighlok.

"Now we're ready to roll," said Jayden, drawing the symbol to combine the zords in front of him. He activated it and the six zords came together to form the Samurai Megazord.

"I've got news for you," the Nighlok said, as he faced the Megazord. "The bigger I am! The bigger the stench!"

He breathed in, before spouting out white smog, making visibility not that much of an option.

"I can't see," Emily said, waving her hands in front of her face.

"Hang on everyone," Kevin instructed.

"We're sitting ducks," Mike protested.

"Quack," Ava giggled, earning half a look from Jayden. "What? Ducks say quack!" she protested. "Fine! No duck jokes, geeze, Jayden, lighten up!" she pouted.

Appearing out of the smog, the monster slashed at the Megazord, knocking his sword away. "Things getting foggy for you foggies?" the monster asked, attacking several more times.

"How can he see us?" Mia asked. "But we can't see him?"

"This isn't good!" Emily clarified.

"Maybe the Swordfish Zord can cancel out this fog?" Kevin suggested.

"Good call," Mia nodded.

"Kev, you got this one?" Jayden asked.

Kevin nodded. "You better believe it!" he said, activating his Mega blade and calling upon the swordfish zord using the power disk. "Have a taste of my flying fish!" he said, disappearing from the Megazord, and reappearing in the swordfish. "Swordfish torpedo!"

"I hate fish!"

"Let's make a point!" Kevin said, darting forward and poking the monster in the backside with his zords nose.

"Hey! Cut that out!"

"Let's combine and show this creep what we can really do," Kevin suggested.

Mike nodded. "Yeah, Kev, do it, bro!" he encouraged.

"You ready?" Jayden asked.

"Oh, i'm ready!" Kevin agreed. "Samurai armourment!"

The swordfish zord swerved around and landed in front of the Megazord.

"Alright stinky pants; it's time for you to get a whiff of how this swordfish super charges our Samurai style!" Kevin said, causing Ava to blink in confusion. That was a mouthful.

"Swordfish Fencer Megazord," the six rangers said, once the transformation was complete. "Armed for Battle!"

"Katana power," Jayden commanded. "Twin blade mode!"

"You can't just odor us around anymore," Kevin said, as he, and the other rangers, ordered the blades to slash several times against the Nighlok's exterior. "Swordfish torpedo!" he commanded. The Megazord leant over, firing several torpedos at the monster.

"Our mega blades should do the trick," said Jayden, reaching for his control. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Willing..."

"... And so totally..."

"... able!"

"Time to take out the trash!"

"Swordfish slash!"

The six rangers slashed down with their own Mega blades, as the Megazord itself cut through the Nighlok with an almighty explosion.

"Samurai Rangers, victory is ours!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava giggled as she run towards the sea, she waited until the foamy water rippled closer before jumping, and landing with an almighty splash in the waves. "Hey, guys," she called back to her friends on the beach. "C'mon! The water's great!"

Emily smiled and exchanged a look with Mia, before reaching up and whispering something into the Pink ranger's ear. Mia nodded and the two quickly caught hold of Mike, pulling him towards the water's edge, kicking up water and splashing one another as they entered the raging waves.

Ava screamed with laughter as Mike threw her over his shoulder as she tried to help her new sisters, while Mia and Emily kicked up water at the Green ranger, who splashed them back.

Meanwhile, Jayden and Kevin remained on the beach, talking about the previous morning's events.

"How does it feel to know all that training paid off?" Jayden asked, as Ava's giggles reached back to him on the light breeze. He glanced out to sea, just in time to see Mike toss the White ranger into a wave that had come crashing towards them.

"NO!" Ava had screamed before she disappeared beneath the murky water, surfacing seconds later, completely soaked, but still carefree and happy.

Jayden couldn't help but smile.

"It feels great," Kevin sighed. "But it wasn't just my training. You know, all the training and dedication in the world doesn't mean much, unless you truly believe in yourself too." he nodded.

Jayden nodded.

"Hey," Mia called out to them. "Next time we have a day off, we should come back and spend the whole day at the beach!" she suggested, screaming as Mike picked her up, around the waist and hauled her backwards into the water.

Emily and Ava, who already had been thrown into the raging waves, squealed as Mia joined them, and the three of them were pulled under as another wave crashed by.

"Only if you promise to bring some sun cream," Kevin called back, laughing at the sight before him. Emily, who had obviously been Mike's next target, and jumped to her feet and bolted past the Green ranger, momentarily surprising him, before he landed, face first, in the water, as Ava and Mia landed on his back. "Man, I got fried out here!"

Mia laughed as she and Ava jumped off of Mike, who was swearing revenge when he caught them.

"C'mon, Mia," Ava shrieked, pulling the Pink ranger towards Emily as Mike made it back to his feet.

"I'm gonna get ya," Mike said, lunging for them. Emily and Mia dispersed, leaving Mike to grab Ava, knocking her backwards into the water. She tried to push him off, but found that she was too weak from laughing so hard, thankfully enough, she was saved, as Jayden collided with the Green ranger and stared down at her.

Jayden smiled and held out his hand. "Need a hand?" he asked, hoping that she, at the very least, remembered their conversation earlier when they had been confined to their beds. He had _finally_ been able to admit how he really felt about her, but he wasn't sure if she had heard him, given she had passed out soon after.

"Thanks," Ava said, with a sweet smile. She reached up and grabbed his hand. Unfortunately, he had only pulled her halfway, when the sweet smile disappeared and was replaced with a devilish grin. Grabbing his hand with both of her own, Ava dropped like a dead weight, back into the water, pulling Jayden over with her.

The red ranger grunted as he rolled over, so that he was lying flat on his back in the water.

"I should have seen that coming," he complained, as Ava giggled and climbed onto him. Grabbing her hips, Jayden rolled them over so that it was she lying in the water, rather than him.

Ava laughed as she clung to him, her clothes becoming heavier and heavier as more and more water was added to them; she'd already lost her hair tie, leaving the chocolate brown curls to unravel and stick to her face, neck and shoulders.

Now was his chance.

"I'm sorry," he said, faintly, only for her to hear.

"For what?" Ava asked innocently. Although, while she knew full well what he had to be sorry for, she wanted to hear him say it.

But before he had a chance to admit what he had done wrong, Ava's name was being called from the beach. It was Emily.

Looking up Ava and Jayden saw her waving the White ranger's Samuraizer in the air.

"Prince Charming's calling," Emily shouted.

"Luke," Ava smiled, rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself up. She hurried out of the sea, shivering in the cold air, but took the Samuraizer with a smile. "Hello?"

"_Ava,_" Luke exclaimed, happily, down the line. "_Hey, I'm just calling to ask if maybe you'd want to catch a movie this Friday."_

Ava chewed her lower lip and looked up at Emily and Mia, as the guys started to leave the sea themselves. Ava's phone conversation seemed to be more interesting than playing in the water. Mia and Emily exchanged looks and turned, expectantly, back to Ava, nodding at her to accept.

"Yeah," Ava grinned. "I'd love too!"

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Monday, October 08, 2012 at 04:21am**


	8. Chapter 8: There Goes the Brides

**Author's Note:** Thank you to **Jessfairy88** for brainstorming this chapter with me. Appreciate your help throughout. You're truly awesome.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **RHatch89, Heaven's Archer** and **Torilovesu** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

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**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

As the bridal march started, Jayden glanced back at the woman walking down the aisle towards him.

He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute and was sure that he was about to have heart attack. As his bride reached his side, he held out his hand and took hers and felt it tremble. Taking a deep breath, he lifted the veil over her head, and stared into the hazel eyes of Avalon Brooks. The only girl who had ever been able to capture his heart.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Jayden Shiba and Avalon Brooks," said the Minister. "This occasion marks the celebration of love and commitment, of which this man and this woman begin their life together."

Ji dabbed the tears from his eyes with his handkerchief, causing Mike to smirk at him. "Hey, dudes, check out Mentor with the water works," he snickered turning back to Mia, Emily and Kevin. The Blue ranger, who sat behind him, was crying freely into his own handkerchief, while Mia watched Ava and Jayden with a loving smile.

"Its allergies," Kevin defended as Mike's smirk fell. "The flowers!"

"Ava looks so beautiful," Emily sighed.

"Yeah," Mia agreed. "I bet this is a dream come true for Jayden..."

Mike frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Did we miss something?"

"It is girl talk," Emily said, shushing the Green ranger. "Ava told Mia and I in confidence, it would go against the girl code to reveal it."

"You're keeping secrets?" Mike huffed, crossing his arms and sliding down in his seat.

Emily rolled her eyes and exchanged a look with Mia. Last night, after dinner, Ava had asked if she could speak for two reasons. 1) She needed help in deciding a full makeover wardrobe for her date with Luke on tonight, and the second reason was a private matter.

"You promise one another to aspire to these ideals throughout the rest of your lives together," the Minister continued. "Love is patient. Love is kind. Do you promise to be faithful to her, forsaking all others, for the rest of your life...?"

Ava half-glanced at Jayden, this should have felt _so_ wrong! Tonight she had her first ever date with a boy she had recently met, and taking a great liking too, and yet, here she stood, wearing a full wedding gown, alongside her best friend who looked stunningly handsome, waiting for him to say the two fateful words that would bind them together forever.

Jayden smiled, internally, but before he could respond, Ava's attention was drawn to something over his shoulder.

"They took the bride?" Ji asked, his voice rebounding in the half-empty church. "OK!" he nodded snapping his golden samuraizer shut and turning to the other rangers. "The Nighlok's didn't take the bait!"

"I thought our fake wedding would have worked for sure," Emily complained.

"Not this time," Ji sighed. "The Moogers stormed a church downtown and kidnapped another bride!"

"Well this was a complete waste of time!" Ava huffed, carefully detaching her veil from her hair, careful not to mess up the style that Mia had spent over an hour perfecting. "We could have been out there patrolling, yet we're in here!"

Emily smiled as she approached her friend. "You do make a beautiful bride mind," she said.

"Thanks, Em," Ava smiled.

Mike grinned and put his arm around her shoulders. "I bet Luke wouldn't be very pleased," he teased. "You know, since it wasn't him up there with you."

Ava ducked her head as a warm blush rose in her cheeks. "Slow and steady, Mike," she replied. "I haven't even gone on one date with him yet. Besides, who is to say I'll even marry Luke? Who is to say I'll get married at all?"

"Oh, you will," Mike smiled. "Like Emily said, you make a beautiful bride,"

Ava smiled, before sneaking a glance at Jayden. He was scowling, which wasn't anything new.

"Alright," Jayden said, swallowing his jealousy, and retaking his role as leader. "Ava, go change!"

Ava looked up and frowned as she watched him make his way toward the door, pulling his tie off as he went. "What?"

"Now, Ava," Jayden said, turning back to face her. "We've got work to do!"

With a small nod, Ava gathered up her dress and quickly left the hall, Emily and Mia in tow. Jayden watched them leave, there was no way to describe how he was feeling, he knew that this whole wedding had been staged, a fake to try and trick the Moogers into kidnapping a Ranger in order to save the other Brides that had gone missing, but yet there was a small part of him that had wanted it to be real.

He had been enjoying the dream world he had created - His and Ava's actual wedding.

Everything had been going perfect, until Mike had mentioned the dreaded _Luke_! He hated the idea of another guy being with _his_ best friend, the idea of him _touching_ her, _kissing_ her, or just generally speaking to her made him green with envy; but he knew, better than anyone, that it had been his own fault. He had been the one who pushed her away, not anyone else.

But there was one thing he _had_ noticed: Ava was, at the very least, talking to him again, and she did seem to be back to her usual normal self.

Maybe he hadn't _completely_ ruined his chances.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Once back at the Shiba house, Ji and the Rangers gathered around the map in the living room.

"That makes it five brides that have been kidnapped," Ji said, as Mike opened another map of the city.

"Hey, check it out," said the Green ranger, spotting something the others hadn't. "There's a pattern," he traced the map with his finger, each abduction point glowing with a red dot until it formed a perfect star.

Kevin looked impressed. "Nice find, Mike," he approved. "Have you studied maps and crime patterns before?" he asked

"Sorta," Mike shrugged. "I watch a lot of cop shows."

"Close enough," Ava smiled.

"Too much was left up to chance," Jayden said, bringing the conversation back to the situation at hand. "We have to lure them in before anymore brides are taken!"

"I can't even begin to imagine what those poor girls are going through," Mia sighed. "I mean, this is supposed to be the happiest day of their lives."

"Do you think they would have taken those brides to the Sanzu river?" Emily asked, looking slightly confused.

"No," Ji assured her. "The living can't survive there for long. The Moogers must have used a gap to take them somewhere else."

"Wherever they are," Mia said. "If our sting operation had worked, we could have helped those poor girls."

"Given one of us can come up with a flawless plan," Ava said. "We may get a second chance. I mean, how many weddings can there be in Panorama City?"

Ji held up a check list.

"Quite a few," he said.

Ava sighed heavily. "Why do I get the feeling that I am not going to see Luke tonight?" she asked, looking across at Emily and Mia.

"No one told me that we were ordering pizza tonight," Ji said, looking towards Mike.

The Green ranger held his hands up in Defence. "Hey, don't look at me," he said, quickly pointing at Ava. "She's seeing the delivery guy, not me,"

"No, Daddy," Ava giggled. "Luke's got the night off. He's asked me to go catch a movie with him."

"Huh," Ji nodded. "He's asked you, but have you asked me?"

"Well, no, but..."

"We'll finish this discussion later," Ji said, cutting across her.

Ava sighed and glanced across at Mia and Emily, both of whom shot her sympathetic looks, and completely missing the hopeful look on Jayden's face. He knew that if Ji had his way, Ava wouldn't leave the Shiba house at all.

"I have an idea," Jayden suddenly announced, causing everyone to turn, expectantly, in his direction.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Later that evening, Ava stepped outside of the Shiba house to call Luke, as her friends discussed the second plan of action to rescue the kidnapped brides.

"_Hey,"_ Luke said as he answered the call on the fourth ring. "_I'm just leaving. Should be with you within the hour."_

"Look, Luke," Ava sighed. "I have to cancel tonight."

"_Is everything alright?"_

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "It's just something's come up, and I can't get out of it. I'm sorry."

_"Hey, don't be sorry,"_ Luke replied. "_We'll just have to reschedule. Um... I'm working tomorrow night from 2-7, what about after? I could pick you up after work."_

Ava smiled. "Sounds great," she nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"_Yeah. See you tomorrow, Av,"_

Despite the fact that he couldn't see her, Ava nodded, before snapping her Samuraizer closed. Pressing the smooth metallic surface to her lips, she sighed and returned inside.

"... I guess we get to see Avarella again," Emily giggled, scooping up Cheetah as he brushed past her.

"Avarella?" the White ranger asked as she entered the room.

"Well you're names not Cinderella," Emily shrugged. "I had to compromise. Sue me."

Ava giggled and shook her head.

"Did you sort things out with Luke?" Mia asked.

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "He asked me if I was free tomorrow night. Said he'd pick me up after work."

Emily smiled, crossed the room, and handed Cheetah over to her best friend, before hugging her with one arm. "Hey, another reason for you being Cinderella," she said. "You already have a Prince Charming!"

"Believe it or not," said Ava, "the first 'Prince Charming' belonged to Snow White, not Cinderella."

"You read too many fairytales," Mike said, shaking his head.

"What?" Ava giggled. "So I'm a sucker for a '_Happily Ever After_'," she shrugged. "Name one girl that's not? I know Mia would love to be a Cinderella one day, what about you, Em?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to _be_ her," Emily said, "but growing up, I was always fascinated by Sleeping Beauty!"

Ava bit back a laugh. "All Sleeping Beauty did was sleep for 100 years, before she got true loves kiss from a Prince that she met all those years ago in the woods." she explained.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty may have slept for 100 years," Emily pointed out, "but at least she didn't die from eating a poisoned apple."

"Technically she didn't die," Ava defended. "She just slipped into a deep sleep and could only be awakened by true loves kiss. Besides, she died three times and managed to come back, I'd rather that that be turned into a pumpkin," she said, looking up at Mia.

The Pink ranger scowled at her two sisters, whilst Jayden, Mike and Kevin exchanged looks, and then followed Ji from the room, leaving the three females to bicker over which fairytale was better.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava blew her hair from her face as she followed Mia inside to where the 'real' bride was getting ready for her big day. "Hey, slow down," she said tripping over the hem of her dress for what felt like the hundredth time.

"C'mon, Ava," Mia huffed. "We don't have much time!"

"You try running in a dress!" Ava hissed. She gathered the front of her dress in her arms and followed the Pink ranger down the hall to the specific room. "Are you sure she's going to be OK with this? I mean being kidnapped is one thing, but having another bride hi-jack your wedding?"

"Do you think she'd rather a hi-jacked wedding or a kidnapping?" Emily asked as she arrived.

Ava sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with," she nodded, reaching for the door handle. She pushed it open and peeked inside.

A pretty blonde stood in front of the mirror fitting her veil into her hair. She looked up and frowned at the mere sight of a young teenager dressed in a wedding gown and flanked by two others.

"Shh," Mia said, pressing a finger to her lips. "We're so sorry to ruin your big day, but we need your help."

"What do you mean?" the pretty blonde asked.

But before Mia, Emily or Ava could explain, Mike and Kevin arrived with the Groom.

"Dude, trust me," Mike said. "Hide with the bride,"

"We don't have much time to explain," Kevin apologized as both soon-to-be husband and wife hid in the closet. "But believe me; this is for your own safety."

"What's going on?" the pretty blonde asked.

"Don't worry," Emily said. "It's just for a little while!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

With the second part of the plan underway, Ava hurried off to meet Jayden.

"Everything OK?" he asked as she reached his side.

"I just can't help but feel guilty that I'm hi-jacking that poor woman's wedding," Ava explained, as she adjusted her veil, "and I'm not even engaged."

"Well, for the time being," Jayden said offering her his arm as the bridal march started to play. "We are... engaged."

Ava caught his look and her heart rate increased rapidly. Engaged? To him? That was something that only existed in her dreams, not her reality.

"At least Daddy and Kevin aren't here to cry this time," she whispered.

"I wonder if Mentor would ever give you away one day." Jayden teased.

Ava giggled as they started down the aisle. "Please, if Daddy had his own way, I'd never be able to grow up!" she answered.

Jayden smiled. That was true.

"Av," Jayden breathed mid-way down the aisle.

"Yeah?" Ava whispered.

"Stop shaking,"

Ava smiled faintly. "Sorry. I just hope the Moogers show up soon," she said.

"They will," Jayden promised. "And then we'll rescue both you, and the other brides, OK?"

"Promise?"

"When have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No,"

Again, Ava smiled, before reaching the end of the aisle and taking her place in front of the minister who had been hired to conduct the martial ceremony.

"Friends," the minister started, "we have been gathered here today to share a very important moment in the lives of these two young people..."

_**That's an understatement**_ Ava thought. She was only sixteen years old, and Jayden was only nineteen, yet here they both stood _pretending_ to get married.

"... Their love and understanding of each other," the Minister continued, "has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together have husband and wife."

A snarl issued from the back of the lawn, causing Ava to turn. She screamed as a horde of Moogers swarmed towards her and Jayden, who, in retaliation, took a protective stand in front of her, as she grabbed his arm and glanced over her shoulder as another set of gates were invaded by the fish-faced freaks of Xandred.

"Jayden," she said, alerting him to the presence of the other Moogers.

Seeing the second set of Moogers, Jayden instinctively held on tighter to Ava's hands, visions of her being kidnapped or hurt always plagued him, ever since they were children; it was also one of the reasons why he hadn't wanted her to play such a big role in this plan, but everyone, including Mentor, had agreed that the chemistry between he and Ava was what would make this plan flawless.

"Let go," Ava whispered, urgently. "Jayden... let go!"

Reluctantly, Jayden did as instructed, and released her, looking back at her as she was quickly ushered out of the marquee by the Moogers. He was then roughly thrown aside as she disappeared from view, and the Moogers quickly left the scene.

Straightening himself, Jayden nodded in approval, before following the Moogers that had taken his best friend.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava groaned as she landed on her hands and knees in front of a Nighlok that she remembered from the stories her mother used to tell her.

Dayu. She remembered the old story of how the Nighlok King had cursed two humans and turned them into Nighlok's one night.

"Welcome," Dayu said as she paced in front of Ava. "Now, what's the best way to welcome you? White Samurai Ranger!" she said, forcibly ripping the veil from Ava's face. The White ranger gasped and reached for her Samuraizer, crying out as Dayu caught her wrist and twisted it behind her back. "Well now, what little bobble have you brought me? You thought you'd tricked me, didn't you? You think we haven't been watching you and your pathetic pals? Now I've got you _and_ the real bride!"

Ava looked up as a couple of Moogers stalked past, pulling a struggling bride behind them. They shoved her towards a giant spider's web, through which she disappeared.

"But that's not possible," Ava said. "We hid her!"

"Now you're going to call your friends," Dayu said, kneeling in front of Ava as a Mooger restrained her. "Just like you planned. Tell them that you've found the brides, then, tell them to go to warehouse 32 near the docks."

"Forget it!" Ava snapped. "I won't help you send my friends into a trap."

"Oh, I think you will," Dayu said, lifting Ava's chin up. "Because if you don't, then I'll really give those brides something to cry about."

Ava sighed and looked down at her Samuraizer.

"_Are you alright?"_

"Yes, I'm with the brides," Ava nodded. "We're in short town. Near the docks, warehouse 32. And, Jayden? Please hurry."

"_OK. We're on our way!"_

"Very good," Dayu laughed. "Your Red ranger is almost as pathetic as the last! He would have happily died for your preceeder too!"

Ava swallowed her pain and anger at the sneer of her mother and uncle. It probably would have hurt less had the statement not been true; her mother actually had died for her red ranger, just the same as she would give her life to save Jayden's, and vice versa.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Kaboom!" Dayu laughed as she received confirmation that warehouse 32 had exploded with five out of six rangers inside. "You Samurai ranger are no match for me. Ah, I haven't felt this good in a long time," she said, turning her back on Ava and lovingly patting a wedding gown that was being weaved in the corner of the room. "Look at this gown. All the dashed hopes and dreams it symbolizes. Oh how good it feels to throw a bridal shower!"

Ava struggled against the Moogers as she felt her wrist becoming numb.

"A bridal shower of tears," Dayu exclaimed, rounding on Ava quickly, "that will rise the Sanzu river and flood your pathetic world, this is the end for you!" she grabbed Ava's free arm, hauled her to her feet and then shoved her forward.

Losing her footing, Ava hit the ground, landing on her already weakened wrist and whimpering as a sharp pain shot through her palm, stopping at her elbow.

"Go on, Moogers," Dayu ordered. "Get rid of her!"

There was a low growl, and seconds later Ava smiled as her Penguin Foldingzord smashed into Dayu, and the Lion Foldingzord grabbed her Samuraizer, dropping it into the palm of her pain-free hand, before returning to Jayden, who had arrived with Kevin, Mia and Mike.

Ava's Penguin Zord chirped happily and zoomed backwards the White ranger, nuzzling her cheek before rendering itself immobile.

"What?" Dayu yelled in annoyance. "How in the world? How did you escape the warehouse?!" she demanded.

"I think it's your turn to cry," Ava said, straightening up and folding her arms. "I'm not the only Samurai ranger that's been kidnapped today."

There were several cuts in the giant spider-like-webbed cake behind Ava, before it was obliterated, and Emily stood in front of the other brides, spin sword in hand.

"Two Samurai brides are twice as nice," she smiled, "don't you think?"

"How could this be?" Dayu gasped.

"Pretty easily actually," Mia answered. "When Ava traded places with the real bride in order to protect her, we made sure that she had double bride protection. So when you came back to kidnap the real bride, guess who you ended up kidnapping instead."

"But the warehouse," Dayu said. "Who went there?"

Jayden smirked. "Our doubles!" he answered.

"Go on," Mike said, herding the innocent brides out of the room. "Get out of here!"

Without needing to be told twice, they took off at once, trampling Dayu's dress in the process, as Ava and Emily re-joined their friends.

"Looks like your dress making days are over," Emily said.

"Oh yeah?" Dayu challenged. "We'll see about that!"

She blew a puff of black smoke at the six them, but they disappeared before it could hit them.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Making it to the courtyard, Dayu looked around of the meddlesome rangers that had snuffed out her plan. "Show yourselves!" she shouted, when she saw that she was alone.

"Samurai Ranger," said Jayden in a low voice, as he stepped out from behind a tree, pulling out his sword, and swinging it through the air. "Ready."

Kevin jumped out from behind another tree to Dayu's immediate right. He pulled out his sword and held it by the side of his head, the point sticking straight up into the air. "Samurai Ranger, ready."

"Samurai Ranger," Mia's voice called down from high above Kevin. Dayu looked up and saw the Pink Ranger's sword pointed at her, before she swung it in the air, resting it on her shoulder. "Ready."

Dayu turned, spotting Mike sitting at the top of the steps, leading to the building. He had his head propped up with his hand and let out a lazy yawn. He got to his feet and turned around to face the Nighlok, holding his sword above his head with both hands before moving it to rest across his shoulders. "Samurai Ranger, ready."

"Samurai Ranger, ready," Ava said walking over to Dayu, pulling out her sword, and holding it menacingly at her side. She then held it out in front of her and put her left hand on the blade, holding it at an angle, lightly resting it on her shoulder.

"Samurai Ranger, ready." Emily said pulling holding her sword in one hand over her shoulder before holding it with two, the blade point at Dayu.

"Dearly beloved," Mia said, jumping from the tree branch, "we're gathered here for one thing!"

"Rangers together, Samurai forever!"

Dayu smirked. "I have but one thing to say," she snarled. "Moogers! Attack!"

The Moogers raced forward, but were intercepted by the rangers.

"These Moogers are like ants at a picnic," Emily shouted as she cut down her own Moogers. "Always a nuisance!"

"With all the teeth I'm knocking out," Mike responded. "I hope they have a good dental plan!"

"I wonder what happened to Dayu." Kevin asked, as he and Mia fought side-by-side with Ava, they had managed to push their Moogers away from the abduction site and into a near-by quarry.

"I bet she just ran back to the Netherworld," Mia answered, slicing through several Moogers with ease.

"Yeah, who's crying now?" Ava nodded, as the sound of metal on metal echoed loudly. Once the last of her Moogers had been dealt with, the White ranger looked up as the figure of Dayu jumped at her.

The Nighlok grabbed Ava's forearms, forcing the teenager to the ground. "Surprised to see me?" she snarled.

"I don't like surprises!" Ava yelled, struggling against the Nighlok's grip.

"Let her go!" Mia yelled, as Kevin summoned his Hydro Bow and leveled it at the Nighlok. "Kevin, wait!" she said, not wanting to hit Ava.

Ava shrugged, but Dayu refused to let up.

"Kevin, do it!" Ava yelled.

Kevin hesitated. Could he risk it?

"Kev," Mia murmured. She didn't want to risk hurting Ava any more than he did, but she figured Ava would much rather be hurt by her friends, that savagely attacked by a Nighlok. "She'll be OK. Ava's tough, even though she doesn't show it."

"OK," Kevin nodded, firing his Hydro Bow.

There was an explosion, one that cleared, and showed Dayu left behind a cloud of flame, but no Ava.

"Where'd she go?" Mia frowned.

"That's all you've got?" Dayu laughed. "Well, lend me your ears for the last song you'll ever hear, plus, I bet you'll be happy to join your precious White ranger."

"Aw, didn't think you cared so much, Dayu," Ava taunted, jumping over her friends and rushing at the Nighlok. "You know, I may not be that good a fighter, but when you taunt me about my Mommy..." she shook her head, and slashed downwards with her sword, "you cross the line!"

Dayu laughed as she raised her small bladed dagger, blocking the attack of the spin sword. The two fought for a few moments, attacking, blocking and disarming the other, before Kevin and Mia, who had realized what was happening, rushed forward to help.

However, Dayu proved to be stronger than all three of them, as with one single slash to the stomachs, she sent all three Rangers flying backwards onto the sandy floor.

"I must admit," she said, turning back to them, "it pains me that you three won't be around hear my encore."

She started towards them, but was quickly intercepted by Jayden.

The two fought with increased speed and agility, allowing Kevin, Mia and Ava enough time to recover from their initial attack and make it back to their feet.

Watching the fight, Ava waited for an opening, before pushing herself up and darting forward. She raised her spin sword and blocked, what would have been a fatal blow to Jayden.

"Cute," Dayu sneered, as Ava pushed her aside. "You two are too cute, it's sickening! But then again, your parents were the same, and look what happened to them!"

Ava bit back a growl as her hands shook angrily.

Jayden squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. He knew that an attack against Evelyn was always considered a personal attack at Ava, mostly because Evelyn meant the world to her daughter.

"Your show is closing, Dayu!" Kevin said.

"Not on this note!" Dayu growled, blasting the four of them, the attacks were stopped by Emily and Mike, who jumped in front of their friends and sliced through the black orbs with their spin swords.

Pushing their way to the front, Kevin and Mia followed Ava's lead and powered up their spin swords with their power disks.

"Spin sword! Dragon splash!"

"Spin sword! Air way!"

"Spin sword! Blizzard blast!"

Kicking off from the ground. "Triple strike!" the three rangers yelled, as their powered up swords connected with their target.

"Finish her!" Ava said as she landed and turned to Jayden.

The Red ranger nodded and summoned his Fire Smasher. "Cannon blast mode!" he said, converting it into its second form. Once the cannon blaster was fully functional, the other rangers loaded their own power disks to it, allowing Jayden to use their combined powers against Dayu.

Unfortunately, before the blast could hit her, another Nighlok came out of nowhere and landed in front of her, slicing through the attack as if it were nothing but thin air.

"What -?" Ava gasped, jumping up and starting forward.

"Who's that?" Mike asked.

As the smoke cleared, the second Nighlok raised his sword, but he didn't attack; but that didn't stop the rangers from taking a defensive stance against him. "Red ranger," he said, addressing Jayden. "You shall be my sword, Uramasa's, greatest challenge."

"What does that mean?" Mia asked.

"Dekker, you came to save me?" Dayu gasped, almost surprised.

"Not quite," the new Nighlok, Dekker, answered, turning back to the Rangers. "Red Ranger, we shall duel, soon!" he nodded, before taking Dayu, by the arm, and fleeing the quarry.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Mia smiled as she stepped into the kitchen later that evening.

"What are you so happy about?" Mike asked, being the first to notice the happy look. "I thought you were with Ava and Emily?"

"I am," Mia nodded. "We just need your opinion on something!"

"Oh?" Kevin asked.

Mia pointed towards the door as Emily entered, pulling a rather self-conscious looking Ava behind her. The second the male trio set eyes on the White ranger, their jaws hit the table; she did not look like the Ava they knew. The Ava they knew wore a lot of denim shorts and t-shirts, things that made her sweet and innocent.

However, the teenager standing in front of them now was wearing a pair of white skinny jeans, a red bandeau long top, that fell to mid-thigh, calf-length black leather boots and a quilted turtleneck jacket that looked like it had come from Mia's wardrobe, in fact, all of it, looked like it had come from Mia's wardrobe.

"Does she look beautiful or what?" Mia asked.

Ava bowed her head as a warm blush rose in her cheeks, she was well aware of the stares she was getting from Mike and Kevin, but she dare not look at Jayden, mostly because she feared what his reaction would be. Why she was scared of his reaction, she wasn't sure, but the fact remained that she was.

"Wow," Mike stuttered.

"Uh... yeah," Kevin nodded, completely lost for words.

But this did not help Ava's situation, and her face grew warmer. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole, just to avoid this social setting. While she felt beautiful, being _told_ she was beautiful, by two guys she considered her brothers, was another story all together.

"What about you, Jayden?" Mia asked. "What do you think?"

"I like it," Jayden nodded, getting up from his seat and preparing to leave the room. "You look beautiful," he added, in an undertone to Ava, has he passed, but instead of heat rising in her face, which was what Ava expected to happen as he complimented her; she felt a clenching in her chest at the sadness in his tone.

Tears burned her eyes as she reminded herself that she was in this situation _because_ of Jayden. If he hadn't acted the way he had, she would be dating him, and not Luke. But even with that thought in mind, it didn't stop the tears from falling, which resulted in Mia and Emily rushing her from the room.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Where are you going?" Ji asked half an hour later, as Ava bypassed the dojo to avoid another run in with Jayden. Mia and Emily had already calmed her down after the last encounter, re-fixed her makeup, and promised her that Jayden's loss was Luke's gain.

"I have a date with Luke, remember?"

"I didn't say you could go," Ji said shaking his head. "You are much too young!"

"Daddy," Ava whined. "I'm not a baby, anymore, I'm almost an adult!"

"You are not one yet!"

"Daddy, don't you think you're a little hypocritical?"

"How?"

"Well, you said I was old enough to except my Ranger destiny," Ava pointed out. "You said yourself, I wasn't a kid anymore, and I needed to accept my own responsibilities!"

"I did," Ji nodded.

"So, if you think I am old enough to accept my destiny as a Power Ranger," Ava pressed on. "Why is it now that you say I am still a child?"

Ji looked down as his daughters words drilled their way into his heart.

"You can't have it both ways daddy."

Mentor Ji sighed, she was right and that made his heart clench. His little girl, his baby, was all grown up and he need to cut some of the strings he had tied. He looked at Ava and for the first time really noticed what a beautiful young woman his daughter was turning out to be.

"Alright," he caved. "You can go. But I want you home by 10, got it?"

Ava squealed and jumping up kissed her father's cheek.

"Thank you, Daddy! I won't abuse the freedom you've given me! I promise 10 o'clock sharp!"

"Your training is also important," Ji warned.

"Yes, sir!" Ava nodded, excitedly, as the front door opened and Emily stuck her head inside.

"Ava, your Prince is here!"

"Bye daddy!" Ava said, kissing his cheek and ran out of the door. In her excitement she had failed to notice Jayden, who had come in front outside the moment Luke had arrived, he had hidden in the shadows to avoid being detected by any of the other Samurai's in the house.

From his hiding place, he had overheard the entire conversation between his mentor and Ava, and had half hoped that Ji would refuse Ava the privilege of this date, and send her back to her room. To say he was disappointed with the outcome would have been an understatement, for as he watched her bounce across the yard, to the waiting car, he couldn't help but feel anger and regret course through him.

In his opinion, no man was good enough for _his_ Ava... but sadly she wasn't his! She was _his_ best friend, yes, but _his_ girlfriend? No way. He had lost that chance when he had pushed her away.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at 01:00pm**


	9. Chapter 9: I've Got a Spell on Blue

**Author's Note:** I have decided that I will be changing the order sequence of the episode in this chapter. Next chapter is **"Forest of the Trees"** after that I will be making changes in order to fit this story.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **Crystalmaiden62** and** xxxAvalonGeorgexxx** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Cheetah mewed as she wove her way between her human's legs, brushing her ginger fur softly against the exposed skin. She was vaguely aware of the clashes of metal coming from the training pad, and while she was used to the constant training activities, still didn't mean she wasn't afraid of being hit. Whenever the Samurai had training, Cheetah always took refuge in her human's protective embrace.

"What's the matter, peanut," Ava smiled scooping up the feline. "Jayden and Kevin sparring again, huh?"

Cheetah pawed at the White ranger's face, batting aside her fringe which had falling into her eyes.

Ava giggled and hugged the cat close to her, aside from Emily and Jayden, Cheetah was her new best friend. "They won't hurt you," she whispered, causing the cat's ears to flicker away. "I won't let them! That's a promise."

Meanwhile, Jayden and Kevin, who were still sparring, were oblivious to everything that was happening around them. They were more focused on the training exercise that had been set.

"He's got mad skills," Mike grinned. "I'm impressed!"

"Yes, Jayden is one of the bests there has ever been," Ji nodded in approval.

Mike frowned and turned to Mentor. "I was talking about Kevin," he pointed out, earning a look from Ji and a giggle from Ava. "He's right up there with Jayden." he added quickly.

"He's so graceful with a sword," Emily sighed in admiration.

"Yes," Mentor nodded with a smile. "Jayden always had that quality, even has a child."

"I meant Kevin," Emily replied.

Mentor frowned at her and Ava had to bit her lip to keep from laughing for a second time.

"Kevin's technique is better," Mia nodded.

"Daddy, I think you're being a little bias because you raised Jayden," Ava said, as Cheetah nuzzled closer to her, much to the annoyance of her Penguin Foldingzord, which had just come zooming around the backyard towards the White ranger, and was batted away by the feline's paw.

"They are both excellent swordsman," Mentor defended. "But practice sparring is one thing, but true skill shown in battle is what really counts."

"I'd hate to see what would really happen if they had to battle each other," said Mike.

Mia shook her head. "That would never happen," she said. "Nothing could make Kevin fight against a fellow ranger."

"He's true blue," Emily grinned.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Emily smiled as she stepped into the kitchen to find Ava playing with her Penguin Foldingzord. Cheetah, who was lying lazily on the worktop, purred as the White ranger scratched behind her ears. "I see you found time to play with both," the Yellow ranger nodded, taking a seat opposite her best friend.

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "It was either this or split myself in two,"

"That would have hurt,"

Ava giggled and watched as her Penguin glided gracefully around the kitchen, weaving around grocery bags that Mia had set on the kitchen table, over the top of the fridge, around Cheetah, and back towards the White ranger.

"How was your date with Luke?" Emily asked.

"It was OK," Ava smiled. "He took me to see _The Last Samurai_..."

Emily giggled as her eyes widened.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Yes," Ava nodded. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit through a Samurai film and not criticize the fighting technique? It was pure torture! They are nothing like us!"

Emily let loose another giggle as Mike entered the kitchen from the dojo.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Luke took Ava to see _The Last Samurai_ last Friday," Emily answered.

Ava nodded. "Yeah, and I was just telling Emily that the actors had no idea how to act like a Samurai," she said. "You know, they should take Samurai lessons from Kevin."

Mike chuckled. "We'll mention it at Dinner," he nodded, patting her shoulder.

"We'll need something to avoid Mia's cooking," Ava nodded, looking down as Cheetah nudged the Penguin zord with her head. The flightless bird had turned immobile and was lying on the worktop and Ava's fingertips. The feline sniffed it, and then licked the metal surface, mewing at her human in disgust.

How could her human be so in love with a tasteless bird?

Exchanging looks, Mike, Emily and Ava laughed at the feline, who hissed and streaked away as the Gap sensor sounded loudly from different parts of the house.

"Let's go," Jayden yelled sprinting passed the kitchen with Mia and Kevin.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Hold it right there, Nighlok!" Jayden yelled as he and the others finally reached the scene. "We're going to whip you into shape!"

"Do you really want to tango with me?" The Nighlok laughed.

Mike and Ava exchanged looks.

"I don't about you," the Green ranger whispered. "But I was never good at Tango..."

"It's never been one of my strong points either," Ava agreed. "It's too fast!"

"Who is this clown?" Kevin wondered loudly.

"I'm Madimot," the Nighlok answered. "The baddest of the bad from the Sanzu! I'm a bad, bad man!"

"Let's see if you can back up all that talk," Mike said, shouldering his sword.

Madimot made a small agreeing sound as he hit the ground with his whip. "Having back up is a good idea," he agreed, he tugged his whip through the air and slashed it into the ground, as chunks of dirt exploded into the air behind a nestle of trees, and the ground shook as if an earthquake was in passing.

"Oh, no!" Ava gasped as a familiar Zord drilled its way out of the ground. "Jayden, it's the Tiger zord!"

"Surprised?" Madimot smirked delightfully. "When the Earth cracked open and you sealed Master Xandred in the Netherworld, your Tigerzord fell in the crevice too. I saved him, and made him my pet Kitty! Or should I say pet Tiggy!"

Ava shook her head. "No, let him go!" she shouted, stepping out of line. "You can't have him!"

"Jayden, we have to get it back!" Kevin said as Mike caught Ava's shoulder, stopping her from taking any more steps towards the Nighlok.

"My spell on him is too powerful," Madimot explained. "He's mine!"

His face shimmered a faint blueish purple, before he blasted an orb of energy at the rangers. Jayden grabbed Mia and Emily, forcing them to the floor as Kevin run at Mike and Ava, knocking them aside; he, however, was unfortunate, and the beam hit him dead in the chest.

With a cry of pain, Kevin grabbed his head and dropped to his knees.

"Kevin!" Mike and Ava yelled as they recovered from the surprise attack. Scrambling to his feet, Mike rushed to his friend side and grabbed his forearms, but Kevin growled, and threw him backwards into Ava, who had managed to barely make it back to her feet.

"What was that all about?" Mike asked.

"I don't know," Ava answered, shaking her head.

"Kevin?" Emily asked, nervously.

The Blue ranger didn't answer her, he merely snarled and straightened up.

"He's in a trance," Jayden deducted.

"I've tamed a new pet," Madimot smirked. "I call him Blue. Now, sick 'em!" he commanded, slashing his whip onto the ground again.

Kevin drew his sword and run at Ava and Mike. The two dived aside, rolling away from another and drawing their own swords. Mike's sword clashed against Kevin's as Ava run in from behind. The Blue ranger spun around, slashed at Ava's stomach, but missed as she jumped backwards, raising her sword to avoid another deadly blow as Kevin slashed down at her.

"Kevin!" Mike yelled, jumping up and grabbing his roommate from behind. "What's wrong, buddy?"

Kevin didn't answer, merely shrugged Mike off, spun around and slashed at him with his sword. The two locked blades, as Mike attempted to break through the spell once more.

"Kev, snap out of it!" he yelled.

The Blue threw Mike off and turned, stabbing his sword at Ava, who ducked under the blade, and looped her arm around Kevin's upper forearm. "You're under mind control! Whoa!" she yelled, as Kevin spun her around and slashed across her shoulder and chest with the tip of his blade.

"Hey, stop it!" Emily yelled as Ava hit the forest floor.

Kevin turned in her direction, spun his blade in his hand and started towards her, Jayden and Mia.

Running forward, Jayden jumped over Kevin, who swung his blade at him. When he landed he run at Madimot leaving the others to deal with the mind-controlled Blue Ranger, Madimot laughed at the Red ranger, casting another energy orb at him, but Jayden deflected the attack using his symbol power.

"Hey, no one beats me!" the Nighlok growled. "Chew him up, Tiggy!" he commanded the White tiger.

The zord growled in response, opened its jaws and blasting Jayden with white smoke. Jayden grunted as someone collided with him, knocking him aside. "Wha - Ava?" he frowned, as the White ranger landed on her stomach beside him.

"You should have seen that one coming," Ava said, pushing herself up returning to Mia, Emily and Mike, all of whom were taking a beating. "Emily!" she yelled, falling to her knees beside her best friend after Kevin had attacked her.

"I can't fight Kevin," Emily said, shaking her head.

Kevin, still under mind control, prepared his spin sword with his power disk. "Spin sword! Dragon splash!" he said, slicing through the air.

The attack hit the four rangers, knocking them backwards and out of their morphed states.

Madimot laughed in approval. "Oh, yes, yes, yes," he nodded. "Good move, Blue!"

"No!" Jayden yelled as he witnessed Kevin raise his sword for the final strike. He pushed Madimot away from him, and run back towards his friends. "We better blaze a trail out of here," he said, preparing his own spin sword with the fire power disk. He slashed the sword towards the ground, and five out of six rangers disappeared in a blaze of flames.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava flinched as her father touched the wound on her shoulder, it was the same shoulder that Kevin had hit earlier with his spin blade, it wasn't very deep, but Ji was just thankful that she had been morphed, or it could have been a lot worse.

"Keep this on," Ji instructed wrapping a bandage around her shoulder and upper chest.

"But it's itchy!" Ava whined.

"I know," Ji nodded. "But it will help with the pain."

Ava pouted but pulled her t-shirt on over her head after her father had tied the last of her bandages behind her back; he had learned, long ago, that tying them in the front was making it easier for Ava to remove them before she had finished healing.

"Are you OK?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah," Ava nodded, slipping her fingers beneath the collar of her shirt.

"Remember the last time you did that?"

Ava pouted. "But it's irritating!" she moaned rolling her shoulders to try and rid herself of the itchy feeling. "Feels like a thousand ants are crawling over me!"

Jayden chuckled. "C'mere," he said, turning her around and lifting her shirt up around her shoulders. Ava bowed her head and blushed as he adjusted her bandages so that they were flat against her skin. "Better?"

"Yeah," Ava whispered as she struggled to keep her voice as even as possible. "What are we going to do about Kevin?" she asked. "It's going to be very hard to break the monsters spell!"

"I know," Jayden nodded. "We need a plan."

"You're not going to fight Kevin, are you?" Ava asked pulling her shirt back down and turning to face him.

Jayden hesitated.

"Jayden, you can't," Ava protested. "You can't hurt him! He's one of us!"

Jayden sighed and tugged a curl behind her left ear, causing Ava to tremble slightly at the close contact. "I have to be prepared to make tough choices, Av," he told her. "Even if we don't like them!"

Ava swallowed. "Well, hopefully we can break the Nighlok's spell before it comes to that," she nodded, before averting her gaze and walking away, her heart was beating a mile a minute and the side of her face tingled from where he had touched her.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The Gap Sensor sounded loudly, bringing four out of six rangers running into the living room from the bedrooms. They found Mentor standing over the map in the centre of the table, but Jayden was nowhere to be found.

"Mentor," said Mike, "where's Jayden?"

"He's already gone to battle the Nighlok," Ji answered.

"Are you kidding me?" Mike asked in disbelief. "What about Kevin? The Nighlok will make him fight Jayden."

"Hopefully that won't happen," Ji said.

"Hopefully?" Ava repeated. "But Daddy -"

"Remember what your mother said before she left for her final battle, Ava," Ji interrupted. "We must keep fighting, as it is our duty to protect the innocent."

"Yes, but not another Ranger!" Ava protested. "Mommy would never have gone against Uncle Charlie, and he would never have raised a sword to any of his team-mates. There has to be another way!"

Ji shook his head. "There is no other way," he answered. "Jayden knows what he has to do, he has no choice."

"There's always a choice!" Mike argued. "This is bogus!"

"Have faith in your leader, Mike," Ji said, walking around the green ranger and staring up at the gap sensors.

Ava shook her head. "This is wrong," she murmured. "There has to be another way! C'mon guys, we have to help Jayden!"

"And hope Kevin comes to his senses," Mia added.

Emily nodded, and tugging at Mike's hand, pulled him off after her sisters.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"It's about time, Red ranger," Madimot said as Jayden finally arrived at the construction site. Behind the Nighlok, fully morphed and ready for another battle, was Kevin.

"Kevin, please wake up," Jayden pleaded not wanting to harm his friend any more than others wanted him too, but he knew that if push came to shove, then he would have to battle Kevin like he did any other Nighlok.

Kevin, however, didn't respond.

"That's not going to happen, Red," said Madimot. "Make this fight count! Or I'll make Blue turn his sword on himself!"

Over his shoulder, Jayden was vaguely aware that he was no longer alone. The others had arrived, but he couldn't let them in on this battle, they had been injured during their last fight with Kevin, and he knew that neither of them wanted to fight Kevin. He didn't want too, but he knew that he had too.

"Jayden," Mike called, readying his Samuraizer. "We're here to help!"

"No," Jayden ordered them. "I can't put anyone else at risk!"

"But -" Mia started.

Jayden shook his head and turned back to Madimot. "You want a show? I'll give you the show of your life, Nighlok," he said, raising his Samuraizer.

"Jayden!" Emily protested.

"Now I wish I had some popcorn," Madimot said, leaping out of the construction site to view the fight from a higher vantage point. "Blue, attack!"

Drawing his sword, Kevin turned it to face Jayden, as the others watched with bated breaths.

"Samuraizer!" Jayden yelled, "Go, go Samurai!"

"He won't hurt Kevin," Ava said, tearfully.

"I hope you're right," Mia nodded.

"I can't believe this is happening," Mike said, shaking his head as he watched Jayden and Kevin circle one another, each one waiting for the other to attack. Then, without warning, both rangers rushed at one another, swords clashed and sparks flew, but neither landed a direct hit.

"Jayden!" Ava yelled.

"What are you thinking?" Mike shouted. "That's Kevin!"

But Jayden ignored them, focusing all of his concentration and energy on stopping Kevin. The two made a mad dash away from the four other rangers, all of whom were still shouting at the two of them.

"Wake up, Kev!" Emily yelled, tearfully.

"You're fighting Jayden!" Mia shouted. "You can't do this!"

Ava teetered nervously on the balls of her toes; her hands covered her face as she drew them down around her mouth. Tears sparked her hazel eyes as she shook her head at the clash of metal on metal; she knew that she should have been used to the sounds of fighting, but when the fight pitted brother against brother, she knew that it was no longer an ordinary fight.

"Oh, man," Mike complained. "This is so not cool!"

"Spin sword, Dragon splash!" Kevin commanded.

"NO!" Ava screamed as the ground all around Jayden exploded. "Kevin, stop!"

"Shut your pie hole," Madimot yelled, blasting the four unmorphed rangers with his shield. Already injured from their fight with Kevin; Mia, Ava, Emily and Mike clutched their stomachs and chests as they hit the ground hard, after the explosion. "No talking during the show!"

Coughing and spluttering the four rangers made it back to their feet, just as a stranger approached them.

"It looks like we have a winner," he said, stopping in front of the rangers and surveying Jayden and Kevin who were still fighting.

"Who are you?" Mike asked.

"It doesn't matter who I am," the stranger answered. "All that matters is the man who is winning, and it's not the man in blue."

"How can you tell?" Mia asked.

"Because he is fighting as if he is trying to win a training point rather than a real duel," the stranger answered. "It is a lot different when you are fighting for survival. You fight with instinct. You have to watch your target like a hawk, it is easy to get tired in a long battle when there is no one to say stop."

Ava's breath caught as Kevin's sword sliced through the chain which held a cluster of scaffolding suspended in mid-air. The entire rack fell towards the ground, separating Kevin from Jayden. "That was close," she whispered, her eyes wide. "Too close!"

"The Red warrior has a good stance," the Stranger continued, leading the others towards the edge of the ledge to watch the final remnants of the battle between Kevin and Jayden. "It reduces arm fatigue, he'll stay strong! When the Blue goes for the point, Red will see his opening and go for the strike, he's just looking for a decisive blow. That's the difference between these two!"

Kevin cried out as he raised his sword, and darted towards Jayden.

"Come back to us, Kevin," Jayden grunted as he raised his sword and deflected Kevin's blow. Pushing his team-mates sword down, he activated the white power disk, engulfing his sword with a burst of flames. "This should break the spell!" he said, throwing Kevin's sword off of his own, and slashing his friend across the stomach with his blade.

Ava drew a ragged breath as she watched Kevin fall to his knees, his suit rippling with electrified red energy. Dark energy flooded into the air, as Madimot screamed in anger and frustration.

"Blue, my puppet!" he yelled.

Demorphing, Kevin hit the ground on his stomach.

"Kevin!" Mia shouted, as she, Mike, Emily and Ava made a dash for their friend.

"Kevin," Emily said, shaking the Blue ranger. "Kevin! Wake up, Kevin!"

"He probably needs some air, guys," Mia said as Kevin started to come too. He blinked and looked around at his friends, his head resting on Mike's legs as the three girls sighed in relief.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Right now," said Ava, "we have work to do!"

Mike nodded and helped his best friend back to his feet.

"Red ranger," Madimot shouted at Jayden. "You had this planned all along!"

"When we fought in the forest, my resist symbol power protected me against your mind control ray," Jayden explained. "We weren't sure if the resist disks power would work on Kevin too, but I had to try. I had no other choice."

"You could have at least told us!" Ava asked, appearing beside him.

"You would have tried to stop me," Jayden answered, squeezing her shoulder. "I'm sorry for having to fight you, Kevin, but I had to get into a close enough position to use the disk."

"Fighting me?" Kevin frowned.

Mia nodded as he looked her way.

"Because you're such a good fighter," Jayden explained, "it took me a lot longer to get close enough to use it."

"Luckily it worked," Ava sighed, before punching Jayden in shoulder. "That's for scaring us and making us think that you were pitted against Kevin!" she said, as he cringed.

"What about him?" Jayden whined, rubbing his shoulder.

"Kevin's been under a Nighlok's control all day," Ava defended. "I think he's suffered enough!"

Jayden grumbled under his breath, as Ava smirked and turned back to the Blue ranger, who had just suggested that they fight someone that wasn't on their own team, someone like Madimot.

"Yeah," the others agreed, and Ava hurried across the construction site to morph with her friends.

"Samuraizers," the five yelled out. "Go, Go Samurai! Samurai ranger, ready!" they said as they drew their spin swords.

"Tiger zord!" Madimot commanded. "Crush them!"

The White tiger burst out of the ground over-looking the construction site, while the rangers regrouped beneath it.

"You guys take care of the Nighlok," Jayden said. "I'll handle the Tiger zord!"

Mike nodded. "We're on it!"

"Let's go!" Emily agreed, running off after the others.

"Go get him, Lion Zord," Ava smiled as the red lion folded into his animal form in Jayden's palm. "Show him whose king of this jungle!"

The Lion growled in approval, earning a giggle from Ava, before she run off after the others.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Spin sword, Ice Storm!" Ava yelled as she pushed off of Kevin's shoulder and slashed downwards with her Spin sword. The Nighlok spun in a semi-circle before hitting the ground as his shield and body sparked dangerously.

Landing, Ava returned her spin sword to her hip, and stepped back away from the Nighlok, as the Tigerzord roared overhead.

"Look," Emily shouted, pointing at the great cat. "The Tigerzord is back!"

"Jayden, you rock!" Mike cheered.

"What?" Madimot yelled. "Now they've turned Tiggy against me too!"

"Shows over, Nighlok!" Kevin said, adding his power disk to his spin sword.

"Not so fast," Madimot growled, firing an energy blast from his shield at them. The ground exploded all around the rangers and a giant cloud of flames engulfed them.

But not even that could stop them.

"Spin swords! Five element strike!" the five friends yelled, jumping through the flames and attacking the Nighlok with their five element combination.

"That's not fair," Madimot pouted. "You teamed up on me!"

"That's why they call it team work!" Ava nodded, as Madimot exploded, before returning as a Mega monster.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Now you've got a big problem," Madimot said facing Jayden. "Bad Kitty!" he added to the Tiger zord.

"Welcome home, Tiger zord," Jayden said as he pushed the Zord forward, avoiding the blasts that Madimot sent his way. "Unfortunately for you, this cat has claws! Sometimes when you play in the dirt, you end up losing ground!" he said, as the Tigerzord sliced through the earth surrounding Madimot, he wheeled away and the ground disappeared beneath the Nighlok's feet.

"You're bad, alright," Ava nodded as she swooped over Madimot in her Penguin zord. "A bad loser! C'mon guys!" she added as the rest of her friends appeared in their zords behind. "Jayden, let's combine!"

Jayden nodded. "You got it!" he agreed, drawing the combining symbol and activating it.

"Samurai Megazord, we are united!"

"Samurai artillery," Jayden commanded, activating the Tiger spin disk.

"Tiger drill Megazord!" the six rangers yelled once the combination was complete. "Armed for battle!"

"You're nothing but a hairball!" Madimot insulted, as he pulled himself free from the crevice the Red ranger had created. He raised his shield and blocked the attack from the Samurai Megazords sword. "Your Megazord is useless; my shield is the real deal!"

"Not for long," Ava said, as Mia and Emily pushed the shield and Nighlok away from them. "Jayden, we can break his shield with the tiger drill!"

Jayden nodded. "Good idea. Mega blade, activate!" he said.

"Mega blade, activate!" the others said, following his lead.

"Tiger drill!" Ava yelled.

"Charge!" Jayden commanded, as the Megazord leaned forward, and drilled through Madimot and his shield.

The shield hit the ground and shattered, leaving Madimot to spark, curse and explode.

"Yeah,"

"Alright!"

"We did it!"

"Samurai Rangers, victory is ours!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"So the Tigerzord was a part of your family?" Mia asked as she set up the snake and ladders board game, while Emily, Mike and Ava lounged around her.

"Yep," Ava nodded. "I know what you're thinking," she added. "How did a family of flightless birds end up with a cat, right?"

Mia smiled sheepishly.

"It's a mystery even to me," Ava smiled. "But since the Tigerzord was able to control snow when it was combined with the Samurai Megazord, it was always related back to my family, since snow is my families' element. Daddy used to tell me stories about how my mom was fiercely protective of the tiger zord, and how upset she was when they lost it in battle, he never thought he'd see it back in a Brook's possession!"

"Until now," Emily pointed out.

Ava grinned. "Yeah, until now," she nodded. "And besides, the Tigerzord is White; it would look out of place in the Shiba family."

Mike, Mia and Emily laughed, before starting their game.

They were mid-way through it when Mike threw a five. "Whoo, let's go!" the green ranger cheered, patting his bear zord and watched as it waddled across the board, down two arrows, before sliding down a snake. "No, no, no, oh!" Mike complained as the girls laughed at him.

"Too bad," Mia said, picking up the dice. "My turn! Double sixes, yeah, Whoo!" she cheered, as Jayden and Kevin, who were sitting on the step behind them, smiled and turned back to their own conversation.

"After what happened today," Kevin sighed, "I don't feel much like playing!"

"It wasn't your fault," Jayden said, shaking his head. "That Nighlok was the one playing games and using us as the pieces. Tiger is one of our toughest allies, and even he couldn't resist that Nighlok's spell."

"But I raised my sword against you," Kevin protested.

"And I raised mine against you," Jayden argued. "Sometimes we can't risk putting each other at risk."

"But we have to do what is best for the greater good," Kevin nodded.

"You sound like Mentor," Jayden said nudging him.

Kevin smiled.

"Daddy, Jayden and Kevin are talking about you!" Ava yelled, giggling at the glares she received from the blue and red rangers.

"Only nice things, I hope," Ji shouted back.

Mia, Emily and Mike chuckled as they cleared the bored for a new game. Mia had won the last one, and neither of the other three was prepared to let her beat them.

"Hey, we're starting a new game," Mia said, calling the last two remaining rangers over. "C'mon!"

"Alright," Kevin nodded. "But i'm Blue..."

"Aw, no fair," Ava pouted, playfully. "I wanted to be Blue. Blue's cool!"

"But Yellow's cooler," Emily smiled.

"Sorry, Em, I have to disagree," Jayden said. "Red is way cooler,"

"Nuh-uh," Ava said, shaking her head, as the doorbell rang. "Red's hot - I'll get it!" she added, rolling off of her seat, seeing as she had been on her stomach, and disappeared from the living room. Leaving the others to exchange looks, as Jayden grinned after her.

Exchanging a look with Mia, Emily nodded.

"You know, Jayden," the Pink ranger said as she placed both his and Kevin's Foldingzords on the board. "It's not too late to give up. You can still fight..."

"Fight?" Kevin asked, looking between Jayden and Mia. "For what?"

"To be number one," Emily smiled.

"Does this have something to do with that secret Ava asked you not to mention?" Mike asked, also confused.

Mia nodded. "Yeah, but after today," she said. "It's not that hard to see where Ava belongs."

"Ava -" Kevin started.

"- belongs?" Mike finished, as he glanced at the Blue ranger. "What's with the riddles? Why can't you just tell us?"

"It's not our place to say," Emily answered. "Ava told us in confidence,"

"Jayden only knows," Mia added, quickly. "Is because he is part of the reason..."

"What reason?" Mike frowned, becoming frustrated with the riddles and secrets between his friends. They were supposed to be a team! And being a team meant no secrets between them. "What are you hiding?" he asked.

"Hey, you guys," Ava shouted as she rushed back into the room, pulling someone behind her. "We got room for one more?"

Everyone looked up and a few mouths nearly hit the floor. Luke, smiling and laughing at his over-excited girlfriend, was behind her.

Instantly, the other rangers made a grab for their Foldingzords, hiding them from view of the civillian in the room.

"You guys remember Luke, I trust," Ava smiled, cuddling closer to her boyfriend as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "He wanted to surprise me, but I've already started a game with you, at least this way, I can please you all!"

Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head, causing Jayden to look at away.

Mia sighed quietly and exchanged a look with Emily; this was not what they had planned when they had told Jayden to continue to fight for Ava, but what could they do? If they turned Luke away now, Ava would surely go with him.

"Of course there's room," Mia smiled.

Emily nodded. "Yeah, c'mon, Luke can be the tiger!" she grinned turning towards Jayden, hoping that he'd use a little hocus pocus symbol power on the Tiger disk, only enough to transform it into an animated tiger for Luke to use during their new game.

Jayden sighed and under the table, away from prying eyes, he drew a symbol with his Samuraizer, transforming the white and gold disk in his hand, into a small Tiger toy.

"Here," he said, holding it out to Luke.

Both boys considered the other for a split second, as Kevin frowned as the tension levels within the room seemed to spike and raise rapidly. Taking the animated toy from the Red ranger, Luke looked down at it, and the tiger roared back at him.

"Cool," Luke grinned. "White Tiger! He's awesome!"

"He's the best!" Ava giggled. "But not as awesome as the Penguin!" she added, scooping up her own Foldingzord.

Mike shook his head and turned back to Luke.

"Welcome to the team, dude!" he said.

"Thanks," Luke said, turning to Kevin who was the fourth to greet him.

"Me first!" Ava grinned as she dropped down onto her stool, and curled her feet underneath him.

She pulled Luke down beside her, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her waist; before leaning forward and taking a card from the top of the pile, she handed one to Luke and another to Jayden, before taking one for herself. "C'mon! Lucky six!" she whispered, before throwing the dice, and clapping her hands excitedly as she got her wish.

Jayden, meanwhile, was scowling at Luke from the corner of his eye, as the delivery boy wrapped an arm around Ava and pulled her onto his lap for the remainder of the game.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Monday, October 15, 2012 at 03:48am**


	10. Chapter 10: Forest for the Trees

**Author's Note:** After this chapter the sequence of episodes change. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **Optima99** and** TealTorch** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Ava turned the tiger disk over in her hands, before turning her attention to the beetle and swordfish disks that lay on top of a navy velvet cloth on the wooden table in front of her.

Jayden had called a meeting before breakfast to discuss who the disks would belong to; she had a sneaky suspicion that he had already chosen Kevin to keep the Swordfish, he had caught it after all, and she just hoped he considered Mike for the beetle.

"Now that we have discovered three of the lost disks," said Mentor, as he approached the rangers carrying a leather bound book from the bookcase. "We have a new power at our disposal."

"Beetle," Jayden said, listing each zord in turn. "Swordfish, -"

"Tigger!" Ava giggled holding the white disk up for her friends to see. "It's better than Tiggy!" she added, seeing the looks on their faces.

Emily grinned at her best friend as Cheetah wandered into the room and jumped up onto her lap, she spied the disks on the table, pounced and sniffed them in turn.

"I don't think Cheetah approves," Mia said, as the cat nudged the Beetle disk with her head.

"Cheetah doesn't approve of any of the zords," Ava answered, scooping up the ginger feline and scratching under her chin. "She's very territorial and protective, aren't you, Princess?" she added in a baby voice as the cat swiveled her head back to look up at her human.

The feline let out a small noise and pawed at Ava's face.

Kevin smirked. "Yeah, she's a real vicious predator," he chuckled.

Ava scowled and stuck her tongue out. "Zip it, water boy," she teased. "Cheetah hasn't had breakfast yet..."

"She does get pretty testy when she hasn't eaten," Mike nodded, vouching for the White ranger, and reaching over to pet the ginger feline. Cheetah had taken a great liking to Mike, especially after she had seen how he acted around her two main humans: Ava and Emily.

Ava giggled at the Green ranger, before turning her attention back to Jayden, who was trying to get the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"Together these three disks allow us to form the Samurai Battlewing," the Red ranger said once he had everyone's attention again, Ava was still fussing and playing with Cheetah, but he was used to her short attention span, and therefore didn't really need to reprimand her for not listening.

Opening the book in his hands, Mentor showed the rangers a picture of a bird-like zord.

"Wow," Mike nodded in amazement. "That looks like one powerful bird."

"Yes," Mentor nodded. "Thanks to these disks. So each one has to go to the person we believe is truly ready to help pilot the Battlewing."

"Since the Tiger zord belongs to your family, Av," said Jayden, "you get to keep him..."

Ava blinked and looked up. "Cool," she said, grinning at the white disk in her hand. She thought that she felt it vibrate against her skin, as if the tiger was growling in approval of Jayden's selection.

"The swordfish," Mentor said, as Jayden reached for the blue disk, "goes to Kevin," the blue ranger looked stunned at the decision, but accepted the disk with a smile, "who caught it, and therefore has a connection with it. We've decided that the beetle..." Mentor continued, as Mike prepared himself for the orange disk.

"...should go to Mia," said Jayden, passing the final disk to the Pink ranger. Mike's face fell at the decision, and he glowered at the table, cracking his knuckles as Emily and Ava exchanged looks from across the room. They knew, better than any of the others that Mike had had his heart set on the beetle disk, and now he had lost it.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After the meeting, Ji set about the kitchen to make breakfast, he presented four out of six of his Samurai with sushi, Ava had cereal (because she didn't eat fish) and Mike had opted to skip out and headed out into the back garden to train. The others could hear his grunts and yells through the open door, as he practiced with his spin sword.

"Wow," Kevin said as he looked up from his breakfast. "What's come over Mike? I'm not used to seeing him train so hard."

"He's actually been working really hard on his symbol power," Ava said as she finger-fed Cheetah some fish from the plate in the middle of counter, she smiled as the cat's tongue lapped at the bits that clung to her fingertips, before petting her affectionately and kissing her furry head.

Jayden was watching her from the otherside of the counter, but Ava was so focused on Cheetah that she hadn't noticed.

"I think he wanted that disk bad," Emily nodded looking to Mia.

"I know," the Pink ranger sighed. "I felt kind of guilty taking it instead of him."

"Don't feel bad," Mentor said from the kitchen. "Your hard work is one of the reasons we have chosen you. I've told Mike, he needs to work just as hard."

"But he's been trying," Emily defended.

"Yes," Mentor nodded, "and I believe he has it in him. But until he learns to listen, he isn't ready."

Ava looked away from her father and caught Emily's eye; they knew Mike, better than most of the team, they knew that he struggled in his training, they knew that he was trying to be as good as Jayden and Kevin, they knew how difficult coming to the Shiba house was for the Green ranger; they knew everything, but it seemed - at the moment - what they knew didn't matter.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Hey, what's going on?" Jayden frowned as he looked around at the civilians in the middle of town. They were either running around, or sitting on the floor, crying and pounding the pavement with their fists.

"Everyone's so glum," said Mike, "it's like they've all decided to become Kevin!"

The Blue ranger turned in his room-mates direction.

"Hey!" he whined.

"Mike, be nice," Ava said, nudging his shoulder.

"Yeah, Mike," Kevin nodded. "Be nice!"

Ava frowned and turned the Blue ranger.

"What are you?" she asked. "A parrot? I don't need an echo!"

Mike chuckled as Kevin shook his head, turning his attention to the Nighlok that had just shown up. "Speaking of parrots," he said, pointing out the blue bird to the others. Although he wasn't that hard to miss.

"Isn't it wonderful?" the Nighlok said. "Such delicious depths of despair from my rain. They're so lucky. They get to experience the purest, the cruelest, and the loveliest misery of all the loss of hope."

"That's horrible," Emily gasped.

"Yes," the Nighlok said, happily. "It is, isn't it?"

"We've got to get rid of this guy," said Mia.

"And fast," Ava nodded.

"Oh, we will," Mike said, punching his fist into the palm of his hand.

"Oh," the Nighlok cried, as if seeing the Rangers for the first time, "what an ugly sunny outlook you have, especially when the forecast calls for rain. My rain of pain."

"Not going to happen, Nighlok," Jayden said. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" the others nodded, drawing their spin swords and racing towards the monster.

"Enough talking about the weather," the Nighlok squawked. "Instead of rain, I'll just cut straight to the pain!"

He spun his staff in a circle, before aiming it at the rangers and unleashing a beam of orange energy at them. It hit them, dead in the chest, and blasted them backwards through the air.

"So, did that feel so delightfully bad?" the Nighlok laughed.

"Mia," Kevin called, shaking his head and raising to his feet. He summoned his Hydro bow as he straightened up. "We have to use the new disks!"

Mia nodded and followed his lead. However, before she had a chance to fix the beetle disk to her sky fan, it was blasted out of her hand and into the air.

"Whoa!" Mike gasped, jumping from the ground and grabbing it. He flipped over and landed in front of his friends, as Mia rushed to take back what was hers.

"Thanks," she said, holding her hand out, but Mike didn't hand it over. Instead he attached it to his forest spear, much to the surprise and shock of the other rangers.

"Mike!" Kevin shouted. "Stop! You're not ready!"

The Nighlok surveyed them, frustratingly from across the playing field. "This is no fun," he said, as Mike refused to let into Kevin's demands of handing the disk back to Mia. "I'll come back to fight, when you're not fighting each other," the feathers on his head shot upwards, forming an umbrella, and he shot into the air.

"Guys, stop it!" Jayden called. "Get him now!"

"Mike, c'mon!" Kevin said, racing forward with the Green ranger. He leveled the Nighlok with his Hydro bow and fired, missing several times as the monster evaded his attacks by floating around.

"It must make you sad," the Nighlok cackled, as he disappeared, "to be so lame!"

Kevin fired again, but the Nighlok was long gone. With a heavy sigh, the Blue ranger turned to his room-mate, and shook his head. "Mike, what were you thinking?" he asked disappointedly.

"I just wanted to..." Mike sighed, looking down at his forest spear as he realized that he had royally screwed up, "... to help."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Once back at the Shiba house, the rangers filed into the living room where Ji was waiting for them. He didn't look pleased.

"Mike," he said, as soon as he saw the Green ranger. "I am so disappointed. You put yourself before the needs of the team, placing, not only yourself, but them -" he motioned to the others, who were spaced out around the room, "in serious danger. Here I thought you were, finally listening to me, and training hard to strengthen the team. I can't believe it's come to this, but you have become a risk to the others. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to turn over your Samuraizer."

"What?" Mike gasped. "You're benching me?"

"It pains me to say it," Mentor nodded. "But I don't think you're truly ready to become a Samurai."

Mike shook his head and stood up. "I'm tired of your lectures," he said. "You don't know a thing about me! If i'm not ready, how can I do this?" he pulled out his Samuraizer and pointed it at Ji, he traced a symbol in the air, and, as soon as it was activated, a tendril from Ji's bonsai grew outwards, winding its way around Ji's stick and holding it tight.

Normally, if it had been anyone else, Ava would have stood back and watched from the safety of the sidelines, but because Mike was attacking her father, she took this as a personal attack to herself. Pushing off of the far wall, the White ranger pounced onto Mike's back, taking him by surprise, and causing him to drop his Samuraizer, but only after her father had pulled the bonsai off of the shelf.

"Get off, Ava!" Mike yelled untangling the girls arms from around his neck, and dropping her back to her feet in front of him. "What was that for?"

"You're scaring me!" Ava cried. She had never seen Mike act like this before; she had never _ever_ seen him lose control so badly before, and it had scared her when he had used his symbol power against the only living family member she had left.

Hearing the plea in her voice, Mike's heart clenched painfully as he realized what exactly he had done.

Jayden had already explained to him and the others, especially after the day they had faced Dayu, that any attack on Mentor or his late wife, was considered a personal attack on Ava; he remembered how angry Ava had been when Dayu had spoken ill of her mother, Evelyn Brooks. It had been a low blow because of the fact that she had died in battle, but Mentor was the only family that Ava had left.

A feeling of guilt washed over the Green ranger as he realized that Ava had taken his protest as an attack, and she had done the first thing that she could think of - and that was to fight back. He hadn't meant to upset her, or cause her distress, he would never have attacked Mentor purposely, he only wanted to prove that he was worthy and ready enough to be the Green Samurai Ranger.

"Ava, i'm sorry," he whispered, drawing her into his arms, and hugging her tightly. "I am so sorry... I didn't mean..."

Ava closed her eyes tightly, trying to force the tears back, but they were already falling and soaking through Mike's shirt. He had really scared her when he had gone for her father, she just wanted to know now, to understand, what had come over him, and surely he couldn't be _this_ upset over a stupid beetle disk.

Mike held Ava tightly, kissing the top of her head in a brotherly fashion, before looking up at Mentor. "I'm sorry," he apologized, although he wasn't exactly sure _what_ he was apologizing for. He knew he had been in the wrong to attack him, he just wished that Mentor would listened more and realized that he wasn't Kevin or Jayden, he couldn't work at their level. He wished that Mentor realized that each of his Samurai was different, and they each worked at a different level.

Ava was a perfect example of that. She _still_ had a lot to learn when it came to combat, but Ji didn't treat her any different to what he treated Mia or Emily.

Mike understood that Mentor was a little more bias when it came to Ava's training, he was, after all, her father, but that didn't mean that he hadn't noticed the difference between the strengths and weaknesses that his daughter had in training. She was a strong symbol caster, but she was a weak fighter. They all knew that. But he didn't see Mentor pushing her like he pushed everyone else.

_**Are you jealous?**_ He asked himself. No, no, that was ridiculous. Why would he be jealous? Especially of Ava. Ava was his best friend, his little sister, what did he have to be jealous of? Because she was Mentor's daughter, which meant she got special treatment? But that was the point, she _didn't_ get special treatment - at least not off Mentor, Jayden, yes, maybe, but never Mentor.

"Helllllloooooooooo..." Ava called, waving her hand in front of Mike's face. "Hello, anyone in there? Snap out of it!" she yelled, snapping her fingers and grinning as his eyes slid back into focus. "Oh, good, you're back... you were miles away then, are you OK?"

Mike smiled and shook his head. "Yeah," he nodded. "I just need some air... I'm going for a walk."

"Don't get lost," Ava teased.

"My names _Mike_," he stressed, "not _Ava_..."

Ava gasped and folded her arms over his stomach. "And here I thought we were friends!" she pouted.

"Nah, we're more than friends," Mike grinned.

"We are?" Ava asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah," the Green ranger nodded. "We're family, right?"

"I like that better," Ava giggled.

Mike saluted her, earning himself another cute giggle. He preferred it when she was smiling and laughing, it made him feel less guilty, or angry, depending on who had made her sad and crying in the first place. "If I'm not back within an hour," he told her, "you'll have a pretty good idea where I am."

"Yup," Ava nodded as he disappeared. She then heard the front door open, then close, and she knew he had gone.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Once things had calmed down at the Shiba house, Ava retreated to her bedroom, Emily, Mia and Kevin disappeared out into the backyard, and Jayden stayed with Mentor in the living room. He wanted to to check on Ava, but first he had to talk to Ji.

"You've been pushing Mike pretty hard lately," he said, as he watched the Lion zord interact with Ava's Penguin.

"It is my responsibility to train him to be a worthy Samurai," Ji answered.

"Yes," Jayden nodded, "but push a door that's meant to be pulled and it will never open. You taught me that."

Ji paused before turning to the Red ranger. "Yes," he nodded, "I just wish he listened like you!"

"But that's because he's not me," Jayden said, standing up. "You taught me that everyone is different, just like their symbol power, right now you and Mike both want the same thing; for him to be the best he can be, you just don't agree on the path to get him there."

Mentor nodded as Jayden's words hit home. "Perhaps you're right," he smiled. "A strong wind can kindle a fire, but it can also uproot a tree. You are growing very wise, Red Ranger."

Jayden smiled. "You taught me well," he nodded, before adding, "I'm going to check on Ava now. She still seemed a little upset after Mike left."

"Today could have been a lot worse had she not been here," Ji nodded.

"I don't think so," Jayden said, shaking his head. "Although I won't disagree that seeing Ava upset is the reason Mike was able to calm down. She does seem to have that effect on him."

Ji smiled, knowingly. "Mike's not the only ranger she has that effect on, Jayden," he said. "Ava is good at weaving her way into people's lives, and once she has latched on, you'll find it extremely difficult to get her to let go."

He then left the room, leaving Jayden to ponder what he had said. Had he noticed the changes that were happening between him and Ava? Ever since Luke had come into Ava's life a lot of things had changed, she had spent more and more time with Mia and Emily, and less time with him, whereas Mentor was used to seeing them practically joint at the hip.

Was this indication to Ava being difficult to shake off Mentor's subtle way of telling him to not give up on her just yet?

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava looked up from her Samuraizer as the door to her bedroom slid open. She smiled at Jayden as he stood in the opening. "Mike back yet?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

"No. Ji's gone to find him," Jayden answered.

"He should try the arcade," Ava answered. "Mike goes there to calm down."

Jayden nodded and pulled out his Samuraizer, he quickly contacted Ji and relayed what Ava had just told him, before hanging up and pointing to the empty space beside. "May I?" he asked.

"Since when do you need permission?" Ava frowned.

"Since you had a boyfriend," Jayden answered, sitting beside her.

Ava rolled her eyes. "I still don't know a lot about Luke," she said, "but i'm sure he's not the jealous type. Besides, he's got nothing to be jealous about, right?"

Jayden snorted.

"More then you know!" he muttered, earning a confused, yet cute look from the sixteen-year-old beside him. "Never mind," he added kissing her forehead, before she rested her head to his shoulder. "I just don't get why Mike was acting so childish,"

"He wasn't acting childish," Ava defended, as Cheetah climbed over both her and Jayden, and curled up between them. "He was acting out, yes, angrily but not childishly. But Daddy could have handled the situation a lot better; he didn't have to bench Mike."

"Stop defending him!"

"Why, he didn't do anything wrong!"

"He attacked Mentor!"

"To prove that he was as good as the rest of us," Ava hissed getting off of her bed. "Mike is just as good as you and Kevin, Jayden, why should he have prove himself to Daddy? We all know that you and Kevin are daddy's little golden Samurai's; Mike just feels left out! Daddy pays him no attention at all. It's always Jayden this, or Kevin that, how do you think that makes him feel?"

"I never really thought of that,"

"You don't," Ava said, shaking her head. "You don't see it like I do. It hurt Mike to be left out today..."

Jayden sighed, pushed off the bed and approached her from across the room. "I realize that, Av," he nodded, "but we had to choose the right person for the job."

"Sure. But if you asked me, I'd say Mike has more than enough symbol power to master the Beetle disk," said Ava.

"Mentor made a choice," Jayden said. "He didn't believe Mike was ready..."

"I agree," Ava nodded. "Daddy made a choice, but it doesn't mean it was the right one."

Jayden was silent as he held her gaze. "You're starting to sound a like a true Mentor's daughter," he said, earning a small, but beautiful smile from Ava.

"Well, Jayden, I _am_ a Mentor's daughter," Ava giggled. "I'm bound to have _some_ wisdom floating around."

Jayden smirked, reached forward and whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver as his breath tickled her skin.

Ava gasped and pushed him backwards, giggling as she watched him land on her bed with a bounce. Cheetah hissed and streaked off under Ava's desk, causing both Rangers to laugh in her expense. However, once Ava had returned her attention to Jayden and saw that he was staring at her, she gulped and took a hesitant step backwards. She knew that look far too well.

"Um... I'm gonna go see if Daddy and Mike are back," she said, laughing nervously.

"Oh no, you don't," said Jayden jumping off of the bed and chasing after her. He caught her around the middle, seconds after she had started to open the door, he slammed it shut, hauled her off of her feet and carried her back to her bed, throwing her down onto it with a bounce and holding her down, his arms either side of her. "That wasn't very nice..."

"What wasn't?"

"What you just did to me,"

Ava giggled as she pushed against his chest, trying to push him off of her. He was to strong, and she was too weak from laughing. "What you said to me wasn't very nice either," she pointed out. "But then all's fair in love and war."

"Quoting Shakespeare,"

"No, it's Mary Poppins," Ava said, shaking her head.

Jayden rolled his eyes, before Ava started to squirm between him and the bed as he tickled her side's shrieks of laughter erupting from her mouth. He chuckled as she started to become short of breath. He knew how much she hated being tickled, yet it was the only payback he could think of at the given time.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After 'playtime' - as Ava had rightfully called it -, she and Jayden returned to the main part of the house and found Emily, Kevin and Mia in the kitchen. Ava, who was still giggling from being pinned down and tickled, dropped down beside Emily at the table and reached for a cup of tea that Mia had made (it was the only thing she could make without giving her friends food poisoning.)

"I see you're feeling better," Emily smiled, poking her friend in the shoulder.

"Where've you been?" Mia asked.

"Tortured!" Ava answered as Jayden leaned on the table beside her. He grinned at her and poked her in the side, causing her to flinch, giggle and swat his hand away from her.

However, before either of the other three could comment on their behavior, the Gap Sensor sounded and the five of them rushed into the living room, activated the map and found the exact location of the Nighlok.

"What about Mike?" Ava asked looking up at Jayden, who had his Samuraizer in his hand. He called Mike and told him to meet them downtown, before hanging up and turning to Ava.

"We'll just have to hold our own until he gets there!" he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her out of the house.

The White ranger nodded and followed after him.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Hydro bow!"

The Nighlok jumped into the air to avoid the collision with Kevin's attack.

"Back for another dose of delightful despair, I see," the Nighlok said as he looked down upon them from the sky.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Happy," Jayden said drawing his spin sword.

"Yes," the Nighlok said as he floated around. "And you can't even come close to defeating me while I'm flying!" he thrust his staff at them, blasting the ground beneath their feet and throwing them backwards through the air. "I'll just put you out of your marvelous misery."

Ava whined as she raised her head from her arms and looked up at the Nighlok, she tried to move her legs but found that every time she tried a wave of pain washed over her. "Ow..." she whimpered. "I can't feel my legs..."

"Me either," Emily nodded as Mia winced as she tried to move her arms.

"What did he hit us with?" the Pink ranger asked.

"I don't know," Jayden answered. "But I can't move!"

"How do we destroy him if we can't move?" Kevin asked.

"Just hope Mike gets here in time," Ava said, looking up at the Nighlok that had aimed his staff at them again. The rangers knew that they were defenseless against him now, if they couldn't move then they had no way to defend themselves against him, and he had a clear shot at destroying them.

"Bye-bye fools," he squawked.

"Think again, Nighlok!" shouted a familiar voice. Mike had arrived. "You'll have to get past me first!" he said, taking a protective stand in front of his friends.

"Mike!" Ava smiled.

"Excellent," the Nighlok nodded. "You get to feel the same delicious defeat they did."

"Try me," Mike challenged, pulling out his Samuraizer. "Go, Go Samurai! Ha!" he activated his symbol power and morphed into his Green ranger form.

"Go for it, Mike," Emily encouraged.

Sliding his power disk onto his spin sword, Mike drew the weapon and changed it into its secondary weapon. The Forest Spear, while he remembered what Mentor had told him back in the forest.

**Look inside yourself, and connect with what the forest means to you.**

Closing his eyes, he focused all of his energy and concentration on the meaning behind the forest.

_**The meaning of the forest: The forest is ancient, strong and wild.**_ He thought, imagining the growth and survival of the forest. It had been around a lot longer than any of them could account for it, it was always growing and becoming stronger, no matter how many times it was attacked or cut down, it came back stronger than ever before and ready to start anew. _**At its core it is about growth, renewal and freedom.**_

Mike smirked as his eyes opened and he knew that he could free the full power of the forest within himself. He had too. It wasn't only his team that was counting on him, Mentor was, but so was the whole world.

"Come get your magnificent misery!" the Nighlok yelled as Mike run along beneath him.

"My symbol power grows as strong as whatever I dream up," Mike called, swinging his spear around his head and striking the ground with it. "So I better dream big!" he flew into the air, tugged his spear free from the pavement and slashed through the Nighlok. "It's time for a change in the weather forecast! Tree symbol strike!" he announced as the monster was knocked from the sky and exploded.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The second the monster exploded, Mike landed, and Ava and Emily, now in full control of their bodies' actions, pushed themselves back to their feet and run to meet their friend.

"Mike!" Emily grinned. "That was incredible!"

"Yeah! Where did you get Symbol power like that?" Ava asked, equally excited.

"I've always had it," Mike answered, wrapping his arms around both girls and hugged them. Kevin may have been his best mate on the team, but Ava and Emily were closer to him than even the Blue ranger, they definitely understood him better than Kevin did anyway. "I just needed some help to find it!" he added.

However, the happy moment was ruined as the monster imploded and returned as a Mega monster.

"Oh no," Mia gasped.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Jayden nodded as the monster continued to grow.

"This is just the calm before the real storm," the Nighlok said as he towered over them.

"C'mon!" Ava said tugging Emily and Mike back towards the others, and pulling out both her Samuraizer and her Foldingzord. She traced the symbol for super over her Foldingzord as it awoke and transformed into a giant penguin. "Penguin Foldingzord! Mega mode power!" she yelled as her suit transformed and she materialized inside the cockpit of her zord.

"Zords combine!" the team of six commanded as their Zords folded together to create the Megazord. "Samurai Megazord! We are united!"

"I'd be impressed," the Nighlok nodded, "if that was going to do you any good."

He took to the sky once more and started an aerial attack on the unsuspecting Megazord.

"We can't just let him take shots from above us," Jayden decided. "It's risky. But we have to try the Samurai Battlewing combination."

Kevin and Ava nodded changing their console disks for their individual Tiger and Swordfish disks. "Ready!" they both announced, turning to Mia.

The Pink ranger sighed and held the orange disk out to Mike. "Here," she said, "take it!"

"What?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"From what I've seen of your symbol power," Mia answered, "you'd use it better than me."

"Mia," Mike started, as Ava gaped at her friend from behind her mask.

"She's right," Jayden agreed, turning to Kevin and Ava. "Now go!"

"Aw great," Ava complained. "Me, Kevin and Mike, this is going to work _perfectly_!" she said, sarcastically as she activated the tiger disk. "Tiger zord!" she commanded as the Tiger burst out of the Samurai Megazord followed closely by the Swordfish and the Beetle.

Unlinking their Mega blades from the Megazord, the White, Green and Blue rangers disappeared from the cockpit and re-materialized in their new zords.

"Oh, I hope I can do this," Ava fretted as she pulled out her Samuraizer and opened it, ready to trace the combining symbol.

"_You can do it, Ava," _Jayden said over the links. He sounded so certain, as if he had every confidence in her, and despite not being able to see him, his confidence in her made her heart skip a beat.

She nodded and traced the symbol in front of her. "Zords combine!" she commanded. "Samurai Battlewing!"

Next second Kevin and Mike appeared either side of her.

"It worked!" Ava giggled, clapping her hands.

"Nice one, Av," Mike nodded patting her shoulder. "You did it!"

"We knew you could," Kevin agreed.

Ava smiled. "Thanks guys," she nodded. "How about we blast this guy and go home?"

"Best idea I have heard all day," Mike nodded.

"Agreed," said Kevin.

Ava giggled and flew through the giant black cloud that had appeared. Waiting for them on the otherside was the Nighlok, who was just as stunned as the rangers had been that morning, when they first learned about the Samurai Battlewing.

The Nighlok tried to blast them, but the Battlewing flew higher up into the air to avoid the collisions. They clipped the monster as he flew towards them, sending him spinning through the air.

"That's right," Mike nodded, "a new storm is rolling in and it's gonna blow you away!"

"You fools are becoming tiresome!" the Nighlok said, flying underneath them and the floating in the air in front of them. He was tiny compared to the Battlewing. "I am undefeated in the air! And that is not going to change today!"

Ava rolled her eyes.

"Get over it, Nighlok," she said. "All good things must come to an end at some point - ouch!" she added as the Nighlok, who had been flying backwards, slammed into a building and lost a bit of altitude. "Now I know why Daddy always tells me to watch where i'm going."

"_Ava, focus!"_ Jayden called over the comms link.

"I am focused!" Ava protested. "Watch! Vortex spin!"

"_Watch out!"_ Jayden said, as Mia and Emily fired their own attack on the Nighlok. The bright coloured lights of Pink and Yellow hit the monster and almost knocked him out of the sky.

"Strike!" Mike and Kevin grinned.

Pushing forward on all of their mega blades, Kevin, Mike and Ava fired their lasers at the Nighlok, completely destroying the umbrella feathers above his head.

"This is despair... but this isn't delightful at all!"

"Depends on your end of the playing field," said Mike.

Ava nodded.

"Yeah. This is awesome progress from our end!" she giggled.

Even Kevin cracked a smile.

"Charging slash!" the three of them yelled, powering up the three separate zords. They fired three coloured disks into the air and flew through them rapidly charging up their final power strike as the Nighlok plummeted towards the ground. "Mega blade, final strike!"

The charged through the Nighlok causing him to explode and shower Paranoma city with fiery jets of flames that fizzled out before they reached the ground.

"Oh, fireworks!" Ava giggled.

"Boring fireworks," Mike pointed out. "They don't even have an assortment of colours!"

"So? We still won!"

"Yeah," Mike grinned hugging the over-excited White ranger. "Victory is ours!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Later that afternoon, back at the Shiba house, Ava instantly run off to find her father as the others stayed with Mike in the hallway outside the dojo.

"Ava, what is it?" Mentor sighed as his daughter pulled him, by the hand, back towards the dojo. He had a sneaky suspicion that she had been sneaking cookies from the kitchen when he wasn't looking; because the way she was bouncing all over the place was exactly the same as when she was hyper off of sugar. He'd have to hide the cookies a little better.

Ava shook her head and continued to pull him after her. "It's a surprise!" she smiled. "You're gonna love it!"

Shaking his head and following her, Mentor smiled faintly as he turned the corner to find the rest of the Samurai team waiting for him. Mike seemed a less bit shifty, but he was hiding something behind his back.

"What's this?" Mentor asked, looking around at the team of six.

Ava, who had now left his side, and made her way towards Emily, smiled and turned to Mike who presented him with a new bonsai plant,. "Just a little something to say thanks," Mike said, "and to show that I'll be listening."

"As will I," Mentor smiled holding up the small plant. "Uh... dude..."

Emily and Ava exchanged looks and burst into giggles. Never had they, or would they ever, have believed they would hear Mentor say 'dude'. It didn't sound like and it most definitely didn't suit him, either. They were used to hearing it from Mike; he was, after all, the rebel of the group, but Mentor? No way.

"Oh, and check this out," Mike said, tracing a small symbol in the air. He activated and watched as one of the leaves started to grow, extending towards Mentor.

Ava's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply.

"Oh, not again," Kevin complained.

"What?" Mike asked, looking around at them. He caught Ava's look and everything fell into place. "Oh, no, I meant this..." he pointed at the plant and curled his hand into a fist, as if by magic, the plant mimicked his actions and became a fist too.

Mentor smiled and bumped his own fist against the plant.

The other rangers sighed in relief, as Ava lay into Jayden's embrace as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, 20 October, 2012 at 03:40am**


	11. Chapter 11: Unexpected Arrival

**Author's Note:** This chapter _should_ be **Test of the Leader** but this specific episode has been back drafted for this story to work.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **DJScales** and** GabrielMoon** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

The heat sizzled up off of the beach as a young man, no older than nineteen, walked across the golden grains, two fishing rods covered in cloth, slung over his shoulder, and a blue and gold trailer being tugged along behind him.

Ahead of him, across the sea front, was none other than Panorama City. A place that he remembered from his childhood.

"Finally," he said with a smile. "I have arrived. Wait until the get a load of me! This will be golden, baby!"

A small chirping sound came from the cooler behind him.

The young man paused and glanced over his shoulder as a white and blue octopus poked his head out of a rectangular shaped opening in the cooler, it was looking around, as if trying to assess its surroundings.

"Not yet, Buddy," the boy said closing the lid of the cooler and locking the octopus back inside.

He then turned his attention back to the sea front of the city beyond. After thirteen years he had made it back. He was finally going to be able to see _them_ again!

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava frowned as she latched onto the fencing around the docks.

The Gap Sensor had gone off back at the house, telling them that there was a new Nighlok in the city, but people were walking past them chatting happily without a problem.

There was no Nighlok within the vicinity.

"So, where's the Nighlok?" she asked turning to the others as they joined her.

"Jayden," Emily said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "What's wrong?"

The Red ranger frowned as he searched behind him for any indication that he was alone. He had felt something, something - or someone - watching him.

"Nothing," he answered, shaking his head. "I just have a strange feeling."

"Strange feeling?" Ava repeated.

Jayden nodded.

"Like someone's watching me,"

"Creepy," the White ranger murmured, watching as Kevin picked up the gap sensor from the drain beside her. The cells flashed red for a few seconds before dying as the Blue ranger held it up for his friends to see.

"Something definitely triggered this Gap Sensor," he nodded.

"Yeah, but what?" Mia asked.

"Ghost, maybe?" Ava suggested.

Mike frowned at her.

"Ghost?" he repeated with a slight chuckle. "You're not serious?"

Ava blinked and looked at him.

"I think she's serious," Emily nodded.

"Oh, c'mon," Mike whined. "Ghosts? Ava, ghosts aren't real!"

"Well, neither are monsters," Ava pointed out. "Yet we fight monsters every day!"

Mike sighed and folded his arms. "Fine," he grumbled. "Point to you!"

"Whatever it is," said Jayden. "It's not here now. Let's go."

The others nodded and followed him back up to the main road.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava smiled as Cheetah streaked towards her from the porch of the Shiba house. She had barely stepped inside the gates when the ginger feline had spotted her, pounced down the two steps and streaked forwards.

"Hey, baby," she cooed, scooping up the cat and snuggling her closer. Cheetah let loose a small noise and nuzzled her furry head into her human's cheek.

"I thought that was yours _and_ Emily's cat?" Kevin frowned.

"She is," Ava nodded.

"But then why -?"

"Because Ava has been looking after her longer," Emily answered. "Ava has been looking after her since she was a stray."

"So she has more of a bond with me," Ava smiled. "But Emily is still her human too."

Kevin frowned, shook his head and reached out to pet the feline.

Cheetah hissed and scratched her claws against the back of his hand.

"Ouch!" Kevin yelled ripping his hand away from her and inspecting the four long scratches on his skin. "What the hell?!"

"Cheetah!" Ava scolded, holding the cat up so she could see into her face. "What was that for?"

"Kevin, are you OK?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," Kevin nodded, nursing his wound. "That cat's psychotic!"

"I told you she was territorial," Ava defended. "But I don't know why she attacked you; did you do something to piss her off?"

Kevin shrugged. "Not that I can remember," he said, trying to think back to a time where he had pissed Cheetah off. He kept coming up empty.

"How about yesterday?" Mike asked, joining the conversation as they moved towards the front doors of the Shiba house. "You know, when you were practicing your symbol power and you attacked her with a stream of water?"

Ava gaped at the Blue ranger.

"That was an accident!" Kevin defended.

"No wonder she doesn't like you," Emily said, petting the feline that purred at the attention she was getting. "Cheetah doesn't like water."

"No cat likes water," Mike said.

Ava shook her head. "Not true," she said, following Mike towards her father. "Tigers are cats and they love water."

"You're not getting a point for that one," Mike said.

Emily grinned and exchanged a look with Ava. The White ranger giggled and hugged Cheetah again, as Mia tended to Kevin's hand.

Mentor, however, was staring at his rangers in a confused manner. They had only _just_ left; there was no way they could have dealt with the monster in a short amount of time.

"That was fast," he nodded.

"It doesn't take long to deal with nothing," Mike sighed.

"The Gap Sensor was working fine," Kevin explained. "But there was no Nighlok. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary."

_THUD._

The rangers and Ji jumped at the sudden noise on the outside of the house. Exchanging looks, Jayden disappeared outside, determined to find out what was happening, he returned minutes later carrying an arrow with a slip of white paper attached to it.

"It just says '_See You Soon_'" he read.

"See you soon?" Mia whispered. "A Nighlok attack?"

"No," Ji said. "Not here at least. The house is protected by defensive symbols."

"And they're doing a great job," Mike nodded in approval, taking the arrow from Jayden. "I mean, someone shot this arrow," he sniffed the note and grimaced. "There's something fishy about this..."

"Obviously," Emily agreed.

"No," Mike said, shaking his head. "There is obviously something fishy. Here, smell..." he held the arrow out to the Yellow ranger.

"Urgh!" Emily said moving back a step or two, while Cheetah, whose senses were a lot stronger than her humans, stared at Mike hungrily as the stench reached her nose.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava huffed and blew her fringe from her face.

"I'm bored!" she pouted, rolling onto her stomach and looking up to where Jayden was sitting. He was at his desk tracing symbols on the blank page in front of him.

"Nice to meet you, Bored, i'm busy," Jayden teased.

Ava giggled. "Come play!" she said, pushing herself up so she was kneeling on his bed, rather than lying down.

"I can't," Jayden sighed, shaking his head. "Go find Emily."

"I don't want to play with Emily," Ava pouted. "I played with Emily last night."

"Mike?"

"Ninja's are starting to lose their edge,"

Jayden glanced at her and frowned. Ninjas? Why was she talking about Ninjas? They were Samurai.

"Video game," Ava explained, catching the look of confusion. "Point is I don't want to play Ninjas anymore."

"Then what _do_ you want to play?"

Ava shrugged. "I was hoping you'd suggest something!"

"Hmm," Jayden smirked, his gaze flickering away from her and back to the sealing symbol in front of him. "Tempting. But Master Xandred comes first."

"I'm starting to miss the times where I came first!"

"Times are changing,"

"Apparently," Ava muttered, but Jayden heard her.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?"

Ava glared at him.

"If Luke where here I'd go play with him!" she snapped. Jayden winced at the double meaning behind her words. He didn't want her _playing_ with anyone, least of all Luke Anderson.

Silence fell between them as Ava flopped back down onto her stomach.

"It's times like this that I miss Antonio," Ava said, curling her arms under his pillow and watching him. "Do you think we'll ever see him again? I mean, it's been thirteen years, but he did promise he'd come back!"

"I don't know, Av," Jayden answered shaking his head.

"It sucks," Ava sighed. "I miss the three of us! We used to have so much fun!"

"We still have fun," said Jayden. He put down his paintbrush, stood up, and lay beside Ava on his bed. Both of them staring at the ceiling.

Ava shook her head. "No, Jayden, we don't," she told him. "_I_ have fun. I have fun with Emily, and Mike, and Mia, and Kevin, and Cheetah. I don't have fun with you anymore. It's like you don't have time anymore, and it's not because you are the Red ranger now!" she added quickly, as she knew that was his new favourite excuse. "You'll have fun with the others but not with me. It's like your distancing yourself."

Jayden sighed as he resisted the urge to reach out and hold her.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Jayden said, quickly. Ava flinched a small noise escaping her throat. It was something between a startled gasp and a terrified squeak. "No, Ava," he said, shaking his head as he gave into his urges and drew her closer. "Don't ever think that you did something wrong. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why -?"

"Look, Ava, it's not you," Jayden said. "It's me. I did something wrong. I -"

He broke off as he sensed another presence in the room. He shifted, his arms still around his best friend, and glanced towards the back wall of his bedroom.

"Jayden?" Ava frowned looking up at him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"There's something here,"

"What? Where?"

Jayden tensed as a shiver ran down his spine. There was something definitely in the room beside him and Ava. "There!" he said, his eyes darting towards the door. "Did you feel that?"

"No!" Ava squeaked.

Pushing off of the bed, Jayden approached the sliding door beside his bedroom door, as Ava propped herself up and watched him.

"Jayden, there's no one in here," she said.

"Shh!"

Ava swallowed and fell silent. She slid off of the bed and approached him, as he readied his morpher and reached for the sliding door. He pulled it open, quickly, eliciting a scream from Ava as a training dummy fell out and landed on the floor.

"Don't scare me like that!" Ava yelled, hitting him in the shoulder.

The bedroom door burst open as Mike and Kevin rushed inside, followed closely by Mia and Emily.

"What happened?" Mike asked. "We heard a scream -" he spotted the training dummy on the floor and frowned, looking up at Ava, who was staring at Jayden with wide and terrified eyes.

"I could have sworn there was something," Jayden said heaving a heavy sigh.

"Relax, dude," said Mike. "There's nothing here."

"There is definitely something other worldly here," Jayden persisted. "I sensed it!"

"Did you sense anything?" Kevin asked Ava, as Mia wrapped her arm around her shaken White ranger.

Ava shook her head.

"Could it possibly be your imagination, Jayden?" Mia asked.

Jayden sighed in frustration. Why didn't they believe him? Why didn't _Ava_ believe him? She always believed him! Always and without fail!

"Jayden," said Mentor has he finally arrived. "It is important to trust your instincts. But I don't feel another presence."

Great. Even Mentor didn't believe him.

Another breeze whipped through the room. Jayden tensed, traced a symbol in the air and caught his spin sword as it materialized. Emily gasped as Jayden swung the spin sword around, stopping just centimeters from her face.

"Sorry, Em," he apologized, lowering the sword and stalking out of his bedroom and into the dojo. The others followed behind him.

What was going on? Ava wondered as she watched Jayden circle the dojo looking for something that wasn't there. One minute he had been fine, sort of, and the next it was like he had snapped, spouting nonsenses about another presence being in the room when it had just been them.

"Still think it's a ghost, Av?" Mike asked.

"This is not a ghost," Ava said, shaking her head. "At least, not here, in the house. Ghosts are spirits. Spirits can't pass the protective symbols, right, Daddy?"

Mentor nodded once.

"Does anyone else feel anything?" Kevin asked.

"No," Emily answered, shaking her head.

"If it's not a ghost," Mia said, "then what is it?"

Ava sighed and shook her head in defeat. "I don't know," she whispered, her eyes never leaving Jayden.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"What's with the thinking face?" Emily asked as she sat opposite Kevin at the breakfast table.

"Huh?" Kevin asked looking up. "I'm just thinking of the gap sensors yesterday. What if we missed something?"

"Well, if it will satisfy your curiosity," Ava said, leaning on the table beside Emily, "we could head back out there. You know, do some scouting around?"

Kevin looked thoughtful before nodding. "Yeah. Alright." he agreed.

"Cool," Ava smiled. "Kevin, you wake Mike; Emily you get Mia, I'll go check on Jayden."

Emily nodded and left the kitchen. Kevin following her.

Ava, meanwhile, stepped out into the back garden where she knew Jayden was stationed. He had been out there pretty much all night, he wasn't training, which was a surprise, but rather lost in thought.

"Hey," said Ava sitting beside him. "Kevin, Emily and I are going to check on the gap sensor from yesterday. You gonna come?"

"I can't,"

"Jayden," Ava sighed. "The others and I are sorry that we can't help you with whatever it is you're going through right now, but pushing us away isn't going to do you any good. Come with us! It'll take your mind off of everything that happened last night."

Jayden shook his head. "I'm going to try and get some training in before the next Nighlok attacks," he said. "I was going to ask if you'd be my sparring partner, but you've obviously got something more important to deal with."

Ava frowned.

"You're important to me too," she pointed out. "But right now, I think finding out what happened yesterday takes priority, don't you?"

He didn't answer her.

Ava bit back a sigh and got to her feet.

"This is what I mean by pushing people away, Jayden," she said looking down at him. "We're trying to help. But it is a little hard to help when you're the only person who can sense these things. We'll call if there's trouble... or we need help."

Jayden didn't even look up as she disappeared back inside.

"Where's Jayden?" Kevin asked as Ava stepped out of the kitchen.

"He's not coming," Ava said shaking her head. "He has training. But come on, we don't need six Rangers! We can deal with it ourselves."

Kevin nodded and shrugged on his jacket just as a loud knock came from the front door.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava smiled as she looked around.

The park was beautiful, full of families and other couples. She was here with Luke; he had wanted to surprise her with a secret date, and surprise her he had. She had been seconds away from heading into town with the others, to check out the gap sensor near the docks, it had malfunctioned yesterday and seemed to be playing up again today.

Luke had arrived just as she; Kevin, Mia, Emily and Mike were preparing to leave. He had asked if she had been busy, he always seemed to be catching her at busy times these past few weeks; and she had felt guilty about leaving him high and dry again.

She could have told him yes. Yes, she was busy, but thankfully Mia and Emily had taken pity on her, agreed that they could handle the situation alone and didn't mind if she had wanted to spend the afternoon with Luke; needless to say she was thrilled. After hugging her sisters, Ava left the Shiba house with Luke.

And this was where they had ended up.

"Are you OK?" Luke asked, noticing the distant look in his girlfriend's face.

"Yeah," Ava smiled, turning to face him. "Sorry. My mind's elsewhere. This is a beautiful spot."

"I thought you might like it," Luke nodded. "You can easily see the lake from here."

Ava blinked and looked towards the shimmering body of water. There were a flock of ducks and swans, lazily floating across the surface. Their feathers contrasted against one another as the swans' sheer brightness seemed to glow in the early-afternoon sun. "They're beautiful," she commented. "The swans, I mean. So graceful and pure."

"You're a swan," Luke told her.

"I'm not," Ava said, shaking her head.

"Yes, you are," Luke nodded, opening the basket beside him and reaching inside. He pulled out a single succulent red rose and handed it to her. "You're beautiful, graceful and pure, exactly like a swan."

Ava giggled as a light blush tainted her cheeks, and her face warmed at his words. Was it possible for there to be such a thing as the perfect man? Because if it were possible... Luke was definitely the perfect man. He was sweet, charming, handsome... and best of all? He was genuine.

"So what's for lunch?" Ava asked.

"Well, I figured, this is what? Our 5th date?" Luke asked. Ava nodded. "I thought this time I'd go a little more romantic..." he started to remove containers and set them around him and Ava on the blanket. "I have chocolate covered strawberries, grapes; I know how much you like grapes..." Ava giggled, "and since you're a vegetarian, I made my famous Fusilli alla Caprese..."

"Sounds fancy," Ava smiled.

Luke grinned. "Not really," he said, shaking his head. "It's basic pasta, cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese."

"Then I wish to retract my earlier statement," Ava said. "It sounds delicious..."

Luke smiled, scooped up a mouthful of pasta and cheese, and then held it out towards her. Ava blushed as she tasted what he was offering her. She smiled as the food seemed to melt on her tongue. "It _is_ delicious," she nodded.

"I'm glad you approve," Luke said.

"Well, considering what I am used to," Ava smiled. "I'd approve of anything right now."

Luke looked confused.

"My older sister, Mia, thinks she can cook," Ava explained. "But you'd be lucky to find someone who agrees with her."

"Oh," Luke chuckled. "I take it you're too afraid to admit with her?"

Ava nodded. "We don't want to hurt her feelings," she said. "It would be horrible to see her upset."

"You're too sweet," Luke smiled, picking up her hand and kissing its palm.

"So I've been told," Ava agreed.

After lunch, Luke plucked a strawberry from its container and held it out for Ava to take a bite. The White ranger leaned in and opened her mouth.

Brushing aside a stray curl, Luke leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Ava gasped at the close contact, but her surprise last only a split second, before she started to kiss him back.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Ava sighed, lowered her head, leaned back and reached into her pocket for her Samuraizer. She snapped it open and put it to her ear.

"Yeah?"

"_Ava, I just found a note from Jayden,"_ her father answered. "_He's heading to Spring Valley."_

"Jayden's gone to Spring Valley alone?" Ava asked.

Luke looked up, quickly.

"_I think it has something to do with what he has been sensing..."_

"OK," Ava nodded. "I'm there..." she hung up and turned to Luke. "I'm sorry, something's come up. Jayden's in trouble. I have to go!"

"But -"

"I'm really sorry," Ava apologized, pushing herself to her feet. "But I have to go!"

She pocketed her Samuraizer and run off. Luke frowned and watched her go. What was so important with Jayden that she had to leave? Better yet, why was Jayden's problem _her_ problem? He was a big boy; he could take care of himself, couldn't he?

"Unless..." Luke murmured, his blood boiling at the thought of his girlfriend and Shiba being at Salt Lake alone together. He knew that Jayden still had feelings for Ava, despite telling her that there was no chance of a relationship between them, that didn't stop him from flirting with her, living with her was enough to make her change her mind.

Luke shook his head and pushed himself to his feet, there was no way he was letting Jayden Shiba, the same guy that hurt Ava in the first place, take his girlfriend away from him. Ava was _his_, Shiba had had his chance with her and he had blown it, second chances were a rarity in relationships. Besides, they had a close knit friendship, what more could Shiba want?

Rounding the trees, Luke spotted Ava standing in the bushes, he jumped back behind a thick Oak tree as Ava looked his way, it looked like she was looking for someone... or maybe making sure no one could see her.

Luke watched as Ava nodded to herself, reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, he frowned. "What is she doing?" he mused.

"Samuraizer," Ava yelled. "Go, Go Samurai!"

She traced a white symbol in the air, slashed through it, and right before his eyes she changed. Her clothes were covered with white spandex and a helmet covered her head.

"Holy... _crap_," Luke breathed, his eyes wide.

His girlfriend was the White Samurai Ranger.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"The spring is right around here!" Kevin said as he led Mia through the woods. They crossed a small foot bridge, raced up a hill and burst out of the trees onto the edge of Spring Valley, in the distance they could see Jayden, he was fully morphed and facing off against a Nighlok.

"Maybe we should morph first," Mia suggested.

Kevin nodded and pulled out his Samuraizer.

"Go, Go Samurai!" they both commanded, tracing their respective symbols in the air and activating them. Their spandex molded to their bodies and their helmets snapped into place just as Ava burst out of the trees behind them.

"Hey!" the White ranger grinned. "Daddy call you too?"

Mia nodded. "Yeah."

"Where are Mike and Emily?"

"We may have a lead on whom shot that arrow," Kevin answered. "But there's no time now. C'mon, we have to help Jayden!"

"Right!" Mia and Ava agreed following the Blue Ranger towards the beach.

"Jayden!" Kevin called out as they drew closer, catching the attention of the Nighlok as well as the Red ranger.

"Good thing we found you!" Mia sighed as she, Ava and Kevin drew their spin swords. "Guys, this must be the Nighlok that Jayden's been sensing this whole time."

"Aw, there goes my ghost theory," Ava pouted, as she crossed the beach to stand beside Jayden. He was holding a pentagon shaped mirror in his hands. "What's that?" she asked, glancing into the reflective surface. "Hey, this must have been how he was watching you! Mirrors are looking glasses, they're not just for looking at your reflection, but they can also be used to look into other worlds!"

Kevin frowned. "How do you know all this stuff?" he asked.

"Bedtime stories are more than just fables, Kevin," Ava answered. "Some of them can be linked back to the real world. The evil queen in Snow White had a looking glass, it was how she kept tabs on Snow."

The Blue ranger shook his head, muttered something under his breath, and turned his attention back to the Nighlok.

"Four on one's not fair," he grumbled.

"Well neither is spying on people," Jayden pointed out. "But luckily I saw through you. When I splashed water on my face, the presence I sensed went away. That's when I realized that water could help me block your spell."

Ava smirked.

"So that's why you came here," she said. "This was the only place you could hide from him!"

Jayden nodded.

"Genius plan!"

"Of course," Mia gasped, as she finally realized the brilliance of Jayden's plan. "The water in our world is more pure of the water of the evil Sanzu river."

"And the river from the sacred spring must have cut off the creepy Nighlok's spy spell completely."

"Yes, he fooled our gap sensor," Jayden nodded. "But not us!"

He tossed the mirror into the air, slicing through it with his spin sword as it came back down.

"My mirror!" the Nighlok cried. "And I never even got to see your practice that sealing symbol!"

Kevin and Mia frowned. "The what -?" they both voiced, whilst Ava glanced at Jayden from the corner of her eye. Neither one of them, or Ji, for that matter, had told the other rangers the complete truth. They had kept one vital detail from them; at least until they were sure they were fully ready to understand the full duty of Jayden's Samurai destiny.

"Well, tough love," Ava shrugged. "You know what they say when you break a mirror. It's seven years bad luck! And you're luck is about to take a turn for the worst!"

The Nighlok laughed at her. "If you say so, snowflake," he taunted. "Fox Cyclone!"

Heavy winds whipped about the Nighlok and the four rangers were pulled into the air. They landed hard on the other side of the beach as the Nighlok taunted them about the battle not being over just yet.

"We'll need the others if we stand any chance of out foxing this guy," Jayden said. "Where are they?"

"They're still chasing that fishy arrow guy," Kevin answered.

Ava paused and turned to Jayden. "Don't look at me," she shrugged. "I had to bail on Luke just to be here."

Jayden gritted his teeth as he realized that she had skipped out on practice, not to help the others, but to hang out with Luke Anderson for the day.

"I thought you were going with the others?" he asked.

"I was," Ava nodded. "But Luke turned up and asked me out. Mia said that I could go!" she added pointing at the Pink ranger who was already calling Mike and Emily. "Whoa! Look out!" she added as the monster jumped at them, slashing down with his sword.

Jumping in front of the two girls, Jayden and Kevin blocked the Nighlok's attacks with his own sword and pushed him backwards.

"Try this spell," the monster said as his eyes flashed blue. Several fiery blue orbs floated around the rangers, exploding as they made impact, however, a few orbs burst into flames as Kevin, Mia and Ava slashed through their with their spin swords and Jayden rushed at the monster, ready to destroy him.

Raising his sword, Jayden staggered forward, falling to his knees at the Nighlok's feet and completely missing his opportunity to attack.

"Jayden!" Ava gasped, rushing forward.

"Fox flare!" the Nighlok shouted. His eyes burned blue and he blasted the White ranger backwards as his attack hit her head on.

"No, Ava," Jayden groaned. "Leave her alone!"

The Nighlok laughed. "You saw through my plans," he said. "But the stress from all of my spells has finally taken its toll on you. You're finished!" he raised his sword, but before he could deliver a fatal blow to Jayden, Mike and Emily arrived, unleashing a surprise attack on the monster and knocking him away from their leader.

"Was that a cool save or what?" Mike laughed.

"Cool save?" Ava asked as she jogged towards him with Mia and Kevin. "Try close save! Jayden, are you OK?"

Jayden nodded. "You know what to do!" he said, taking his power disk from his belt. The others followed his actions and activated their spin blades.

"Quintuple slash!"

"Fox reflection!" the Nighlok shouted, his eyes burning blue again as a portal appeared in front of him. The six coloured attacks soared through and disappeared.

"Huh?"

"Where did they -?"

Kevin cut off as they were attacked from behind. Six brightly coloured, energized attacks appeared out of nowhere, rendering the rangers to their knees.

"How did he do that?" Mia asked.

"Remember what I said about Mirrors," Ava said. "They can be used for more than just looking at your reflection. A mirror can act like a boomerang! It can bounce an attack beam straight back!"

"Then how do we fight it?" Mike asked.

"Break the mirror!"

"Break him?"

Ava nodded. "It's the only way!" she said.

"You'll never destroy me! Right back at you, Rangers!" he added, his eyes flashing blue for the fourth time, and six brightly coloured attacks hit the rangers for the second time.

The team was blasted off of their feet, demorphing as they hit the ground a few feet away.

"I have thousands of mirror spells," the Nighlok told them. "I can handle whatever you throw at me! But I know you can't handle what I'm about to throw at you!"

"Someone order the catch of the day?" a seventh voice shouted from the trees. The Rangers looked around to see the same guy that Mike and Emily were chasing standing on the edge of the forest; he threw a handful of small fish at the Nighlok, before turning his attention to the rangers. "Now this," he grinned, "is a big moment! Man, this is going to be so golden!"

Ava frowned as she crawled towards Jayden; she looped her arms through his and rested her head on his shoulder. "Is that -?" she whispered, unable to bring herself to say his name. She wanted to believe that this was real, and he was who she believed him to be, but it had been thirteen years, was it possible that he had _finally_ come back?

"I don't know," Jayden whispered back.

"What is he doing?" Emily asked, recognizing the newcomer instantly.

"He's going to get taken apart if he goes up against that Nighlok!" Jayden answered, as the newcomer whipped out what appeared to be a cellphone.

"Samurai morpher!" the newcomer shouted, spinning the cellphone in his palm. "Gold Power!"

Ava exhaled sharply, a grin working its way onto her face, as she watched who she believed to be an old friend morph into the gold Samurai ranger. "He did it," she whispered. "He actually did it!"

"We don't even know if it's him," Jayden whispered back.

"Who else could it be?" Ava asked. "Who else knows about us? Last I checked we were the only Samurai families left! It has to be him!"

Jayden shook his head. "Don't get your hopes up, Av," he said. "I don't want to see you crushed!"

"I won't be crushed," Ava smiled, brightly. "Because I know that it's him!"

"He didn't even move!" Mia gasped, causing Ava to look up, and realize that while she had been having a whispered conversation with Jayden, she had missed the beginning of the one-on-one battle between the gold ranger and the Nighlok. "How'd he do that?"

"Yes, he did," Jayden answered. "Just faster than the eye can see."

"I've never seen anything like it," Kevin breathed.

"Superspeed!" Ava giggled.

After dealing with the Moogers at the beach, the Gold ranger took to the forest, leaving the other rangers behind.

"The street slash," Kevin listed. "The back-handed grip. It's such a strange technique!"

"Who cares how he does it?" Emily asked. "It's good!"

"It works!" Ava agreed, pulling Emily and Mia towards the thicket of trees as the Gold ranger disappeared from view. "C'mon!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"What's the problem?" the Gold ranger taunted from the safety of the trees. "Come up and get me! I'm right here!" he ducked under a low hanging branch, but lost his footing and fell back to the hard earth below.

Ava winced as she watched him hit the ground.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"Stay back!" the Gold ranger said, holding his hand up to stop her. "I got this! Just watch!"

He pushed himself up and took off towards the Moogers, dealing with them efficiently. There was a cracking sound and next second several trees tumbled down onto the Gold ranger, burying him beneath them.

"Ouch!" Mike winced.

"I don't think he meant to play lumberjack," Ava said.

"This thing's sharper than I thought," the Gold ranger murmured to himself as he pushed away the trunks and climbed out of the mess he had made.

Momentarily blinded by the sun's rays, the Gold ranger missed the attack from the Nighlok until he was right in front of him.

"That was just a lucky shot," he said.

"Not quite!" the Nighlok cackled, as his shoulder pads flashed orange and several thousand bats flew around the new ranger.

"Guys, we need to help him out!" Mike said.

Jayden nodded, morphed and rushed forward to help. He attacked the monster with a blazing strike attack, demolishing the bats and causing the Nighlok to explode.

"Excellent," the Gold ranger approved. "You're even better than I remember."

"What?" Jayden frowned.

But before anyone could answer him, the monster returned as a Mega monster.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Go, Go Samurai!"

"Lion Foldingzord!"

"Penguin Foldingzord!"

"Dragon Foldingzord!"

"Bear Foldingzord!"

"Ape Foldingzord!"

"Turtle Foldingzord!"

"Mega Mode Power!"

Once the Zords assembled above them, each of the rangers materialized inside their respective cockpits, uploaded their controls to their consoles and prepared to take on the mega monster.

"Zords combine! Samurai Megazord! We are united!"

"Time for my ace in the fox hole," the Nighlok snarled. "Vulpes veil!"

His body shimmered, as if made of water, and he disappeared from sight.

"Where did he go?" Jayden frowned, looking around, just as a surprise attack came from the left and the rangers were knocked sideways.

"He's still there," Kevin said. "He's just invisible!"

The Megazord took another hit.

"How can we defeat him if we can't even see him?" Mia wondered, loudly.

"There must be a way to uncloak him," Mike answered.

"We better think of something quick," Jayden said. "We don't have time left!"

"We could lose the zords if we take any more direct hits!" Ava said clinging to her console as the Megazord was rocked again from the outside.

From the ground, watching the trouble unfold, the gold ranger pointed at his cooler and smiled. "Now's your chance buddy," he said. "Let's show them what you can do!"

The white and blue octopus flew out of the cooler and expanded, enlarging itself as it landed on the ground beside the Megazord.

Ava grinned and started bouncing on her feet, clapping her hand excitedly as Jayden stared at the Octozord in disbelief.

"No way," he breathed. "It can't be!"

"It is!" Ava giggled. "I was right! It really is him!"

"Who?" Mia asked.

"I'll tell you later," Ava laughed. "All I know is, this guy's not gonna know what hit him!"

"Alright, Nighlok," the Gold ranger called from inside the Octozord. "Come out; come out, wherever you are. Octozord, ink cloud!"

A black mist spurted out from the Octozord engulfing the invisible Vulpes and making him visible again.

"Haha," the Gold ranger laughed. "Gotcha!" he flew above the Nighlok, grabbed hold of him with the tentacles of the octopus and started beating him, before flying away. "Yeah. Solid."

"Nice," Mike laughed.

"Now's are chance," Mia nodded.

But the Megazord didn't move as Jayden remained motionless, staring at the Octozord in disbelief.

"Hey," Ava said, nudging her friend. "I forgive you for not believing me. But the sooner we finish here, the sooner we can have our reunion!"

Emily and Kevin frowned as they exchanged looks.

Jayden nodded. "Right. Sorry." he apologized. "Mega blade! Activate!"

"Katana power!" the rangers commanded. "Samurai strike!"

The Samurai Megazord twirled it's sword in a full circle as the rangers inside the cockpit slashed down with their own swords, the Megazord followed their chain of command, slicing the fox in half.

"Samurai Rangers," Jayden nodded. "Victory is ours!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Hey! Hey!" the Gold ranger shouted as he hurried towards the other rangers. They had demorphed now and suspicions had been running high for some time; each of them, save for Ava, wanted to know who this new guy was and what he wanted. "How about that guys? Was that golden with a capital 'G' or what?"

"Start talking," Kevin demanded. "What's your story?"

"I know," Ava grinned as the Octozord floated up out of the container that the Gold ranger had with him. It floated through the air and came to a rest in Ava's palms. "You came back!" she smiled as the small Octopus chirped and beeped at the sound of her voice. It was obvious that it knew her.

Mike, however, was frowning in confusion. "What do you mean you know, Ava?" he asked, turning to the White ranger. "Are you telling me you know this guy?"

"I didn't say I knew him," Ava said, pointing at the Gold ranger. "I'm just saying that I know the Octozord."

"Ow," the Gold ranger said, clutching his chest in mock injury. "That hurts! I didn't think I was that easy to forget!"

Ava shrugged. "Thirteen years is a long time," she shot back.

Kevin, Mia, Emily and Mike frowned as they looked between the White and Gold rangers, for someone who said she didn't know the new guy, Ava was interacting with him like they were old friends, whilst Jayden had pulled back, away from the group, and surveying the situation from the sidelines.

"You know for someone with super speed," Ava grinned stepping closer to the Gold ranger as the Octozord floated back into the air, Ava's penguin zord chirped as it transformed into its Foldingzord form and followed it, trying to nuzzle it with its snowboard. "You sure are super slow!" she teased.

The Gold ranger dropped his morph and took a step closer to the White ranger who had started giggling.

"Is that really you Antonio?" Jayden asked smiling as Ava ducked behind him to hide from the Gold ranger.

"Believe it baby, i'm back!" Antonio grinned approaching his two friends. "And I'm ready for some action! But first I need to take care of something!"

He lunged forward and grabbed Ava's wrist and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"I'll show you super slow!" he said, laughing, as he carried her back towards the small stream that run through the trees.

"No, no, no, no! Antonio Garcia you put me down right now!" Ava screamed. "Do you hear me? You turn around, away from the water, and put me -"

The rest of Ava's words were lost as she landed, with a splash, in the riverbed.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Monday, October 29, 2012 at 4:48am**


	12. Chapter 12: Room For One More

**Author's Note:** I have been working on this since last Thursday. Hope it is worth it.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big shout out too: **A5L, Mandy618** and** Kouryuu** for adding this story or me to any of their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

"Ava!"

"Yeah?"

"Luke's outside,"

Ava frowned and looked up at Emily. "What do you mean Luke's outside?" she asked.

"I mean he's just turned up and is looking for you," Emily answered. "Do you have a date or something?"

"No," Ava said, shaking her head. "Although I did bail on our last one. Excuse me," she added, passing Cheetah, with whom she had been playing, to Emily and hurried off to meet up with her boyfriend.

"Where is she off too in such a hurry?" Mike asked, coming in from the bedrooms, and pointing over his shoulder to where Ava had just blasted past him.

"Luke's outside," Mia answered. "He wants to talk."

Mike growled lightly. "He better not be breaking up with her," he said. "That's normally what happens when they say that they need to talk!"

"I'm sure she's fine," Mia reassured. "Luke cares a lot about Ava, i'm sure he'd never do anything to remotely hurt her. If they _do_ break up, it would be a mutual agreement."

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "Luke makes Ava happy, and she makes him happy, I can't see them breaking up anytime soon."

Meanwhile, Jayden, who had been forced to listen to the conversation, glared at his breakfast angrily, he wanted, more than anything, to rip Luke Anderson out of his life, but he knew that while the delivery boy continued to date Ava, he would have to put up with him.

"He's so fast when he's the Gold ranger, i'm surprised he's not here already," Emily said, breaking through Jayden's thoughts. It was obvious that while he fretted about Luke and Ava, the conversation had changed topics. Now the others were talking about Antonio.

Kevin sighed as he entered the kitchen; he was carrying a copy of _The Art of the Samurai Lifestyle_ in his hand. "Just because Antonio showed off when we beat that Nighlok," he said, "doesn't mean he is fast at everything."

"It's true," Mia nodded. "We don't really know that much about him, but at least Jayden and Ava can vouch for him," she looked up at the Red ranger.

"Yeah," Jayden nodded, "we were friends from the moment we met."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Meanwhile, out in the garden, Ava and Luke were messing around with the equipment.

"You suck," Ava laughed as she swept her boyfriend's feet out from underneath him for a fourth time. "You're even worse than me!"

"You do this on a daily basis?" Luke asked.

"Yep," Ava nodded. "Exercise doesn't come naturally."

"No pain no gain?" Luke asked.

"Something like that," Ava nodded. "You have to work hard to keep in shape."

"It would seem, for you, all that hard work is paying off,"

Ava felt her face warm as she flushed crimson. "Th-thanks..." she stuttered.

"You look cute in red," Luke laughed. "But white is more your colour, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, it is my traditional colour," Ava nodded.

"Like it's traditional for the White Samurai Ranger to wear white, right?"

Ava frowned. Where was he going with this? "Um... I guess..." she shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I don't know the White Samurai ranger, do I?"

"I think you know her a little more than you're letting on, Ava,"

"What do you mean?"

"I know," said Luke. "What I don't know is how many people know what I know..."

"That depends on what it is you know,"

"Who and what you really are,"

Ava froze.

"I - I don't know what you mean," she stammered, shaking her head.

"I think you've lied to me enough, Ava," Luke said. "Why don't you try telling me the truth? I know you're the White Samurai Power Ranger!"

Ava swallowed her eyes wide.

"How -?"

"Yesterday," Luke answered. "I followed you, after you run off, I was curious; I wanted to know what was more important to you than what we were doing. I thought you were -"

"What? Cheating?" Ava asked, suddenly feeling violated. How could he follow her? How could he not trust her? "Who could I possibly be cheating on you with, Luke? She added, wondering who he believed she had run off to be with, the only other person she had feelings for was Jayden, and he had made it pretty clear that a relationship was a no-go between them.

"Jayden..."

Ava scoffed. She couldn't fault him for being honest with her, but she couldn't believe he had thought she would cheat on him with anyone, least of all Jayden.

"You thought I was cheating on you with Jayden?" Ava questioned. "The same person who pushed us together in the first place?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you," Luke defended.

"He's my best friend, Luke," Ava all-but yelled. "He was in trouble. He needed help."

"Isn't that why you have team-mates?"

"He needed my help!"

Luke shook his head.

Ava sighed and brushed her fingers across his cheek.

"There's nothing going on between me and Jayden," she whispered. "I promise..."

Luke hesitated, before finally looking her in the eye. He smiled lightly, nodded once, and then drew her into a kiss.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Where is Ava?" Ji asked as he stopped outside of the living room, counted the heads of the Samurai present, and noticed that his daughter was missing.

"She's outside with Luke," Emily answered.

Mentor nodded and glanced towards the front doors. He feared that the sudden relationship between his daughter and the delivery boy was starting to interfere with Ava's Samurai lifestyle; he understood that she was growing up and that she needed space to branch out, but she also had a responsibility to her destiny, the Nighlok had to come first.

"I'm sure she's alright, Mentor," Emily smiled, softly. "Luke would never intentionally hurt her."

"I know," Ji nodded, checking his wrist watch. "Antonio's late; I can't really say I am surprised. Did he say he was bringing the Octozord with him?"

"We don't know," Mike shrugged. "Why?"

"Because when they were small," Mentor answered. "Ava and Jayden gave it to Antonio... when I wasn't looking."

"You gave him a zord?" Emily gasped.

"I was six," Jayden shrugged. "Ava was three, we didn't know any better!"

"By the time I had found out," Mentor added, "Antonio had moved away, and I didn't think he would actually find a way to activate it; Jayden threatened he'd quit being a Samurai, if I tried to get it back."

"Like I said," Jayden replied. "I was a little kid!"

Mike chuckled. "Wow, such a rebel," he teased.

"Sounds like you guys were really good friends," Mia smiled. "I bet you missed him when he moved away!"

"Yeah," Jayden nodded, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips. He looked up, over Mia's head, as the front door crashed open, and Antonio glided into view, he wielded his fishing rod, which he had with him, smoothly through the air, spinning it around in one hand, and stabbing at the air in front of him, before turning to face his, hopefully, soon-to-be new team-mates.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Antonio said in a bold voice. "I would like to introduce to you the seventh Samurai. The Gold Ranger - Me: Antonio Garcia!"

"And you thought I was cocky," Mike whispered to Mentor.

Hooking the fishing rod over his shoulder, Antonio failed to notice the hook fall and attach to the back his pants. "Jayden, please," he said, looking over at his old friend. "Allow me to join you and your team in the fight against the Nighlok," he pulled at the rod, ripping his pants in the process as the hook dug in deep.

Emily giggled.

"Oh, that's not good," Antonio muttered, his face burning red with embarrassment. "Oh, Haha," he laughed nervously, looking back at the others, all of whom were laughing at his predicament. "It's no big deal," he told them. "It's happened before. Not a lot or anything."

Ducking his head, Jayden cleared his throat, shook his head and stood up. "Could you guys help him?" he asked, leaving the room and disappearing outside, he scowled as he spotted Ava and Luke lip-locked on the otherside of the yard, and turned to leave, just as Mentor appeared in his path.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The Gap Sensor.

Ava gasped and pulled away from Luke, out of the corner of her eye she could see Jayden rushing back inside, and knew that she had to follow him.

"What is that?" Luke asked.

"It's our early warning system," Ava answered. "It tells us when a Nighlok has crossed into our world. I have to go..."

"But what about telling your dad?"

Ava hesitated. "I can't tell him, or the others about this now, it could cause a major distraction when we're in battle, and that's the last thing any of us need."

"Then when?"

"Later," Ava answered. "Are you working tonight?"

"7:00 o'clock,"

Ava nodded. "I'll call you later," she said, kissing him once again. "If you can come round before work, we can tell the others then, if not, we'll try another time."

"Tomorrow," Luke said, "at the latest."

"Alright. Tomorrow."

Luke smiled and nodded. "Good luck," he said, walking backwards towards his car. "And be careful..."

"I always am," Ava waved, before rushing back into the Shiba house as Luke disappeared.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"I can't believe you told him no," Ava said, shaking her head as she followed Jayden through the streets to the underpass. "You promised him, thirteen years ago, that you could make him a Samurai, and now you go and pull something like this!"

"Our team's complete!" Jayden said. "And you really need to start focusing!"

"I'm the one who needs to focus," Ava nodded. "Yeah, because i'm the one going around and hurting the people I am closest too. I'm the one making promises and breaking them at the last minute... I guess both Antonio and I were wrong about you!"

She shook her head, sadly, and followed the others towards the new Nighlok.

Jayden sighed, watching her go. He hadn't meant to hurt anybody, especially her and Antonio, they were his best friends, he just wanted to protect them, but it seemed all he was doing was making things a lot worse.

"... Your time is up!" the Nighlok threatened, raising his blade and preparing to strike the man in front of him.

"Hey, Nighlok!" Kevin shouted, drawing the monsters attention onto him, and allowing the civilian time to escape. "Hold it right there!"

"Well, hello, Rangers," the Nighlok said. "Better late than never. It is time to pay you back for your part in the destruction of my fellow Nighlok friend, Vulpes."

"Good luck with that," Mike chuckled.

"I won't need luck," the Nighlok sneered, charging forward.

Pulling back, Jayden took himself out of the fight, as the others moved in, slashing down with their spin swords, all of which rebounded. Spinning in a complete circle, Ava, Mia and Emily, slashed in separate directions with their swords, before ducking as the Nighlok spun his own blade at them.

Holding the Nighlok in position with their own blades, Kevin and Mike looked over at the three girls.

"Now!" Mike nodded.

"Don't worry," the Nighlok said, sensing the girls attack. "I've got my own back!"

Spikes sprouted out of his armor, attacking the three females, and sending them rolling across the ground.

"Emily!"

"Mia!"

"Ava!"

"We so should have seen that coming!" Ava groaned.

"Seen what?" Mia asked. "I've never seen anything like that before!"

"Now check this out!" the Nighlok yelled, sprouting spikes from his sides and coiling them around Mike and Kevin, the green and blue rangers cried out as they were thrown through the air, and sent crashing to the ground behind Jayden.

"Mike! Kevin!"

"Jayden, look out!"

Spinning around, Jayden ducked under the Nighlok's blade, and struck with his own. "You're about to become nothing but a memory!" he said locking blades several times, and jumping over the Nighlok's attack, once back on solid ground, Jayden run towards the girls, but instead of stopping in front of them, he ran straight past, stopping at a parked car.

"Can you take the heat?" the Nighlok growled, dragging his twin blades across the floor, attacking Jayden with the sparks that were produced. Stumbling away from the car, Jayden came in contact with the wall of the underpass. "Full body blades!"

Several blades shot out from the monster and surged towards Jayden. There was a clash of metal on metal as Ava appeared in front of Jayden and fighting off the spikes that seemed intent on spearing Jayden to the underpass.

"Back off, Nighlok!" Ava shouted as the spikes withdrew, causing the Nighlok to frown in confusion. He hadn't called off the attack, so why were his blades retreating. Could the tiny White Ranger have done something? That was impossible. What threat could she possibly pose?

His answer came in the form of unexplainable pain. He was drying out.

"I hate to cut this short," the Nighlok said, as cracks started to form all over his body. "But i'm drying out! You won't be so lucky next time! But gotta go! Later!"

He disappeared, seeping back through the crack between the underpass wall and the pavement.

"Thanks, Ava," said Jayden, patting her shoulder.

"Just because I'm mad at you," said Ava, "doesn't mean I'm going to stand back and watch you get hurt. You still are my best friend."

Jayden smiled faintly beneath his helmet.

"Is everyone OK?" Jayden asked as the others regrouped. Mia and Emily were supporting one another, while Mike and Kevin did the same. It was obvious the Nighlok had done a number on them.

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "We're alright!"

"That Nighlok had some nasty moves," Mike said.

"Yeah," Ava agreed.

"We'll have to come up with a new strategy," Jayden nodded.

"Maybe the best new strategy for us," said Mia "is an extra ranger."

Jayden sighed and looked away.

"You might be right," he murmured, but Ava heard him, clear as day.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Antonio sighed as he sat on the edge of the docks, fishing rod in hand. He had just left the Shiba house, after the other rangers had run off to deal with the new Nighlok attack, Jayden's words had hurt him deep; he never expected Mentor to accept him straight off the bat, but Jayden was his best friend, he had promised that they would be Samurai together one day, why the sudden change of mind?

"What was I thinking?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the Octozord. "I could never be a real Samurai!"

"Not with an attitude like that anyway,"

Jumping to his feet, Antonio spun around to find Ava standing behind him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying very hard not to sound rude or nasty. It wasn't her fault that Jayden had said no.

"What? Jayden pulls the plug on your dreams and suddenly i'm to blame too?"

Antonio sighed. "Sorry," he apologized, turning his back on her and sitting back down.

Ava watched him for a few minutes, before sitting beside him, her feet hanging over the side. "I missed you, you know," she said, looking up at him.

"I missed you too," Antonio nodded.

"But I knew you'd come back," Ava smiled.

"I did promise, didn't I?"

She grinned. "Yeah. It may have taken your thirteen years," she nodded. "But you kept true to your word."

"I missed the times we played together," Antonio said. "I kept training, using the skills that Jayden taught me. I knew one day that I'd make it back..."

"And we can be Samurai together?"

"Yeah," Antonio sighed. "But Jayden's made it pretty clear..."

"He's been doing that a lot lately,"

"Doing what?"

"Making promises and then breaking them at the last moment,"

"Speak from experience?"

"You could say that,"

Antonio frowned. "What has he promised you and then ripped away?" he asked, curiously.

"He kissed me..."

"Ah-ha!" Antonio grinned, jumping up. "I knew it! I knew that he -"

"... and then he told me it was a mistake!" Ava cut across him, quelling the joyous laughter erupting from her best friend. "Yeah. He told me that he had wanted to do it for a while, but the next day, after a Nighlok attack, he told me that he had made a mistake, and that I should try and forget about it, that a relationship was never going to occur between us. And you know what the worst part is?"

"What?"

"I still love him," Ava whispered, as she stared at her reflection in the water beneath the docks. "Never mind the fact that I am now in a relationship with Luke, who is utterly amazing," she shrugged. "I still love Jayden."

Antonio smiled, half-heartedly, as he sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "And he loves you, Av," he promised. "He's always loved you. Even when we were kids, I mean, look at you, how could he _not_ love you? You're perfect!"

Ava giggled as she shoved him, playfully. "C'mon, superstar," she smiled. "Let's go make your golden dreams come true."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Hey, Antonio," Mike nodded patting the Gold ranger on the shoulder, as he and Ava returned to the Shiba house. "You sure you want to take on the Red ranger?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Antonio smiled, wrapping his arm around Ava's shoulders. "Besides, all I really have to do is stand there and look pretty. Ava, here, will take care of everything else."

"How can you be so sure Jayden will reconsider?" Emily frowned at her best friend.

"Because Jayden can't resist her," Antonio said. "Despite everything that has happened in the past..."

Emily turned to Ava in confusion.

"He knows," Ava shrugged.

"Huh - what?" Mike frowned. "Antonio knows what? Wait a minute... you're telling me, that Antonio knows what Mia and Emily knows about you and Jayden, but yet, you won't tell me and Kevin? How is that fair?"

Ava shook her head. "It's not fair," she agreed. "But I know that Mia, Emily and Antonio won't tease Jayden above and beyond."

"Neither will I!" Mike protested.

"Yeah, right," Ava nodded, sharing a look with Emily. "Now, where's Jayden?"

"Out back," said Emily. "Mia's gone to talk to him."

Ava smiled and turned to Antonio. "C'mon golden boy," she said, tugging him in the direction of the side of the house. "Seven as always been our lucky number!"

Emily giggled as she pulled Mike back into the Shiba house, whilst Ava and Antonio disappeared around to the back garden.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Stopping at the door, Mia watched as Jayden turned the homemade Samurai morpher over and over in his hands. While Ava had gone in search of Antonio, she had been elected to try and talk to Jayden about the situation at hand.

"It must have been hard for you," she said making her presence known. "Having to send your friend away like that."

"I had no choice," Jayden answered. "He's not a real Samurai. Like Ji said having him around could be dangerous not just for him but for us too." he took two training swords from the stand and handed one to Mia.

Mia silently took the offered sword.

"You've known Antonio forever," she said. "The idea of him getting hurt must bother you."

"Of course," Jayden nodded. "He's my friend."

He struck forward, but Mia easily blocked him, they sparred, silently, for a few minutes, before Mia spoke again.

"Ava's your friend too," she pointed out. "If the idea of Antonio getting hurt bothers you, then I can't even begin to imagine how you feel about her going into battle. It must be rather unsettling."

"Ava's a Samurai by destiny," Jayden answered. "I don't have a choice when it comes to her!"

Blocking his attack, Mia crossed blades and pushed forwards. "Leading us on dangerous missions, and having to deal with protecting Ava is hard on you, but putting Antonio at risk too? That's too much pressure, huh?"

She pushed him away from her, swung her sword around and hit him in the leg.

Jayden fell to one knee and glared up at her.

"I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"

"Think what you want," Jayden said, pushing her sword away, straightening up and walking away. He hadn't made it far, however, when Ava and Antonio hurried into the garden.

"She is right -" Antonio started.

"- and you know it," Ava finished.

Jayden sighed. He had always hated how they would finish one another's sentences.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn, Jayden?" Antonio sighed. "I know the risks."

"And we need his help," Ava defended.

"No, Ava," Jayden argued, shaking his head. "We've already talked about it. It's just -"

"We're saving the world," Mike interrupted, as he and Emily stepped out of the house from behind the Red ranger. "How can an extra ranger not help?"

Jayden bit back a growl, he should have realized that they'd be involved in all this; after all, Ava never did anything without Mike and Emily these days. "Look guys," he started, turning to the Green and Yellow rangers.

"Jayden," Mia interrupted softly. "Antonio accepts the risks just like all of us. You're our leader," she nodded. "But that doesn't make you responsible for what we choose to do."

"Well said pretty lady," Antonio smiled.

"I'm not sure that I can -" Jayden tried again, as Kevin arrived behind him, at least _now_ he'd get a little backup. It was obvious how Kevin felt about Antonio, and while, in the beginning, he believed the Blue ranger to be a little harsh on his old friend, he couldn't help but be thankful that he had, at least one person on his side.

But Kevin wasn't there to defend Jayden; in fact, he was there to defend Antonio.

"Jayden, he doesn't have the training," Kevin nodded. "But even I have to admit that we could use the help."

Ava smiled, knowing how hard it must have been for Kevin to admit that they needed help - that _he_ needed help, especially from a non-destined Samurai.

"That is right," Antonio nodded, pointing at Kevin. "Wait -" he paused as everything Kevin said sunk in. "I have trained myself quite -"

He cut off as the gap sensor sounded and Ji hurried out of the house.

"The attack is at the construction site," Mentor informed the team, all of which remained stone still, staring at Jayden.

He hesitated. Mia had a point when she had said that it was unsettling for him to watch Ava run off into battle against a Nighlok, and given how he truly felt about her made it all the more worse, the need to protect her was strong; but to put Antonio in danger too? It wasn't something he wanted to consider.

"Jayden," Ava said walking forward, she stopped when she was standing right in front of him. "We're Samurai together..."

Jayden, still hesitant to put another friend in danger, blanked the rest of Ava's words out as he remembered back to the day that Antonio had to leave. He remembered how Ava had cried for days after his departure, and even to this day he couldn't deny that she and Antonio were more like brother and sister than they had been friends.

"_Remember we'll always be friends, no matter how far away we are from each other."_

_"Alright. I'll keep training. And when you become Red ranger, I'll come back and be a Samurai too, OK?"_

_"OK!"_

_Three year old Ava pouted as she tackled Antonio in a hug, tears already forming in her eyes; she was, after all, old enough to understand the concept of leaving and never coming back._

_Whilst Ava hugged Antonio, Jayden held out his pinky finger for his friend. Antonio smiled and wrapped his own around Jayden's making a pact that they would one day be together again._

_"Samurai together! Friends forever!" Ava chanted as she stepped back beside Jayden and watched Antonio run off towards the front gates of the Shiba house._

"... Friends forever!" Jayden murmured snapping back to reality and looking into Ava's hazel eyes; she smiled warmly up at him.

"I won't let you down," Antonio said, breaking the connection between the Red and White rangers, both of whom cursed him for the intrusion. "This has been my dream. It always has been!"

He held his hand out for his morpher.

"Please, give me my Samurai morpher. Let me help you!"

Looking back at Ava, who was still staring at him, Jayden sighed and reached for the Samurai morpher. "Antonio, you are the seventh Samurai ranger!" he announced.

"Yes! It'll be just like old times!" Ava cheered, throwing her arms around Jayden.

"You won't regret this!" Antonio swore as he and Jayden bumped fists while the others watched on, smiling at the reunion.

Extracting himself from Ava, Jayden nodded towards the gates. "Let's go!" he said running ahead, leaving the others to follow behind him.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Get out of my way, mortals!" the Nighlok yelled as he stood overlooking the fear his Moogers were causing with the construction workers. "The Rangers I am going to shred should be here any second - oh, here they are now!" he added as the seven rangers rushed into view.

"Can you guys move down?" Antonio asked, failing to find a decent spot alongside his new team-mates. The others shuffled down, allowing him to slide in beside Mia, but not before he pushed a stack of barrels aside to give himself an extra bit of space.

Mike smirked and glanced at Ava. "Has he -?" he whispered.

"Always been like it," Ava nodded.

"Samuraizers! Go, Go Samurai!" the six core rangers shouted, tracing their respective symbols in the air and activating them.

"Samurai morpher!" Antonio commanded. "Gold power!"

"Samurai Ranger! Ready!"

"Rangers together, Samurai forever!"

"You know, Rangers, Forever is a long time!" the Nighlok said as he stalked towards them. "Moogers, attack!"

Squabbling indecisive words, the Moogers charged forward, only to be met head-on by the Rangers, whilst Antonio marveled over the fact that he was, at least, a Samurai ranger.

"So cool!" he breathed, as his team-mates rushed into battle. "Yes! At last I have done it! I'm a true Samurai... Oh! I better go help!" he added, realizing he was missing out on the action before him. "Barracuda blade!" he said, slashing through the Moogers at light speed.

Once he reached the end of the Moogers, he sheathed his sword, and turned his back on the exploding Nighlok.

"Still think i'm slow, Ava?" he asked, as the White ranger stopped beside him.

"Not slow," Ava giggled. "_Super_ slow!"

"I'll make you pay later,"

"You asked for it!" Ava exclaimed.

"You're asking for something, alright!" the Nighlok said, interrupting the banter between the two friends. "Steel blade scatter shot!" he added, as several, sharp, spinning blades shot out from his shoulders and sliced through Ava and Antonio.

The ground beneath the two ranger's feet exploded as they were thrown backwards.

"OK," Ava coughed as she rolled back to her knees. "I'll be the first to admit it..."

"That was unexpected..." Antonio said.

"... and uncalled for!" Ava nodded.

"I'll decide what's unexpected and uncalled for, Rangers," the Nighlok hissed, pointing his blades at the two fallen rangers. "Time for round two!"

"Not this time!" shouted Jayden as he appeared in front of his two friends, fire smasher raised and ready to deflect any other attack. "Ava, you and the others take cover!"

"What are you going to do?" Ava frowned.

"Antonio and I'll take care of this creep ourselves!" Jayden answered.

"Yeah," Antonio agreed. "Just like when we were kids! Leave it to me! Sword play is my specialty!"

Ava pouted. "You guys suck!" she muttered.

"Love you too, Ava," Antonio called after her, as Mike pulled her out of the battlefield and behind a crane for safety.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After a rather intense battle against Steeleto, who's first form had been destroyed by the combined attacks of Jayden and Antonio, and his second form had been eliminated by combining the Octozord, which had originally belonged to Jayden's family, with the Samurai Megazord to create the Octo-spear Megazord, the Rangers returned to the Shiba house to celebrate yet another victory against Master Xandred.

"Viola!" Antonio said placing a plate of fish on the table as four out of six of his friends sat down.

"This looks almost as good as my baked beans, mustard and mint-fished casserole I do make," Mia grinned as her friends exchanged disgusted looks behind her back, the looks disappeared, however, and were replaced with strained smiles as the Pink ranger glanced at them.

"Yea," Mike nodded. "Brilli - Ow!" he winced as Emily elbowed him in the stomach.

"Hey, has anyone seen, Ava?" Emily asked, looking around. Jayden and Mentor were talking on the other side of the garden, but the White ranger was nowhere to be seen.

"Didn't she say that she had to run out for a bit?" Kevin asked, distinctively remembering Ava leaving the house.

Emily frowned as Mia shook her head. "No, she didn't say anything to us," the Pink ranger answered.

"Oh, I asked her where she was going," Kevin shrugged. "She said she'd be straight back!"

"Ava's a big girl, guys," Mike said, shoveling fish into his mouth. "I'm sure she's OK."

"That's what you said when she ran away," Emily pointed out.

"Ava ran away?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah, she and Jayden got into a fight," Emily said.

"The same fight that Kevin and I still have no idea about," Mike grumbled.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "When Ava is ready to tell us, Mike, she will," he said.

"Well, she's already told Antonio ahead of us," Mike pointed out. "Sometimes I feel like she doesn't trust us..."

"She trusts you," Mia said, softly. "She just also knows what you're like. She knows the hell you will cause when you know the truth..."

Mike pouted. "Am I seriously that bad?" he asked.

"You're a prankster, Mike," Kevin sighed.

"So, that's a yes?"

"That's a definite yes," Emily giggled, as Cheetah jumped up onto her lap. The smell of fish had obviously attracted her from inside the house. "Oh, Antonio, meet Cheetah, she was the first new addition to the Shiba house and the Samurai team."

Antonio smiled and reached across to pet the feline. "I wonder if she likes fish," he said, earning a slight laugh from the other rangers.

"Ava is the only one who doesn't like fish," Kevin said.

"True that," Antonio agreed, remembering that Ava was a vegetarian. "Hey," he added, calling out to Jayden and Mentor as they continued their hushed conversation a few feet away. "Are you two wall flowers going to join us?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "Hurry up before I wolf it all down!"

"That's the understatement of the century regarding you, Mike," Ava giggled as she hurried into the back garden, Luke in tow. "Antonio, there's someone I want you to meet... and there is also something I need to tell you guys!"

The others exchanged looks as Antonio made his way towards Ava and Luke.

"What exactly do you need to tell us?" Jayden asked, bypassing his two friends and taking his usual seat at the head of the table.

"In a minute," Ava said. "First, Antonio this is Luke," she motioned to her boyfriend. "Luke, this unbiological twin brother, Antonio!"

"Hey," Luke smiled, holding his hand out. "Ava's told me a lot about you! Nice to be able to finally meet you!"

Antonio smiled. "I wish I could say the same," he nodded. "Ava's only mentioned you once..."

"Been a little busy," Ava said. "But now you don't need the whole story... now you can get to know each other on your own terms, and after you hear what else I have to say, it might make things slightly easier."

"What else is there to say?" Jayden asked, feeling like he was repeating himself. His heart rate had already increased ten-fold, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what else Ava had to say.

Ava sighed and glanced at Luke, this was not going to go over all too well, she knew that, but yet, she knew that she had to tell the truth sooner or later. "Damage is already done," she muttered, taking Luke's hand, and walking forward.

"Uh... Luke knows..." she said, bracing herself for the explosion that was sure to come.

"What?" Jayden asked sharply.

"He knows," Ava repeated, "about us being Rangers."

Mia, Emily, Mike and Kevin froze and exchanged looks. This wasn't real! This had to be a dream, right?

"How?"

"It wasn't that difficult," Luke answered, "not when you look close enough, anyway, I mean, you guys think you're being discreet; but the brightly coloured clothing matches your Ranger colours."

Jayden narrowed his eyes at him. "That's not much to go on," he said through gritted teeth. "A lot of groups were different coloured clothing; you couldn't have worked all that out just by our colours."

"No, I didn't figure it all out from colours," Luke said, "I wouldn't be stupid to come here and voice that concern, at least not without proof."

"And what proof do you have?"

"I saw Ava morph," Luke snapped, angered by Jayden's attitude. So he knew the truth, what was the big deal? It wasn't like he was going to hurt Ava with his new found understanding of what went on in her life. "She thought she was alone, she did check to be sure that no one could see her, but just because you can't see anything doesn't mean there is nothing here!"

Jayden looked at Ava and glared. "You should be more careful!" he snapped, causing a look of hurt to flash across her face. He had never snapped at her before, then again, he had never shouted at her before, at least, not as harsh.

"I should be more careful?" Ava asked. "You shouldn't go off alone! If you had stuck to training, like you said you were going to be doing, the others and I wouldn't have had to drop everything we were doing to come and rescue you!"

Twisting his arm around Ava's shoulders, Luke pulled her to him and narrowed his eyes at Jayden over the top of her head. "Look, it wasn't her fault," he said. "I was curious to know why she was running off all the time, I know, I should have trusted her, but you can't blame me for wanting to make sure she is alright."

Jayden scoffed. He couldn't believe this was happening. There was no way that this was happening! How could Ava have been so careless? He couldn't believe that she had revealed her secret to Luke, of all people; also, this did not help his situation at all. With Luke knowing their secret, it made things increasingly more difficult to win Ava back.

"You have my word," Luke added, ignoring Jayden and turning to Mentor. "I won't tell a soul about this. I understand the difficulties it would cause you, and I would never dream of hurting Ava like that, I care about her too much."

Ava smiled, faintly, cast her gaze away from Jayden and hugged herself closer to Luke.

Jayden scowled at the pair, rose to his feet and stormed, angrily, back towards the house, leaving the others to watch him go. They could only half understood how he was feeling, they knew that he was upset that Ava hadn't been more careful when it came to hiding her secret identity from Luke, but only three out of five of the rangers could truly understand the exact meaning behind this problem.

This was his entire fault! If he hadn't been so stupid in the first place then Ava would be his girlfriend and not Luke Anderson's.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Monday, November 05, 2012 at 04:14am**


	13. Chapter 13: Test of the Leader

**Author's Note:** I decided to leave out The Blue and the Gold and go straight into Test of the Leader; this is the episode everyone thought that I had forgotten. But, as stated previously, due to changes in the episode line-up, it has been moved to this slot.

**Author's Note Two:** There is more on Ava's past in this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too: **LittleZebra** and **TheOnePerson1234** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

"OK, so what is the big secret?" Ava asked joining the other rangers in the living room, as Antonio followed her in from the kitchen. He was carrying a wooden bowl in his hands, and set it on the table in front of his new team-mates, showing them the contents inside.

The bowl was filled to the halfway mark with water, but it wasn't the water that was so interesting, it was the item inside the water.

"Behold," Antonio grinned. "This is our new and improved friend The Clawzord,"

"Where did you get this?" Jayden asked.

"The Clawzord was battle damaged years ago," Ji explained. "So I hid it away..."

"Mentor asked me to perform some of my text wiz-magic," Antonio said, tapping his fingertips together, as Ava leaned over his shoulder, trying to get a better glimpse of the Clawzord.

"Text wiz-magic?" she repeated.

"I wanted to see if he could actually do it," Mentor shrugged.

"OK, genius," Ava grinned, nudging her best friend. "How does it work?"

"It's pretty simple," Antonio said, snapping open his morpher. "If I text over some Samurai power symbols to reprogram him, Clawzord will be back in business!"

"Wow," Emily breathed as the Clawzord chirped happily from the bowl.

"Sweet," Mike agreed.

"So you've been using electronic symbols?" Mia asked, impressed.

"Welcome to the 21st century," Antonio nodded. "Pretty cool, huh?" he added, catching Ava around her waist and pulling her into his lap.

"It's impressive," Kevin agreed.

"You've really out did yourself this time, superstar," Ava smiled. "Just don't expect Cheetah to be impressed," she added as the ginger feline hopped up onto the table, and dipped her head over the side of the wooden bowl, investigating what had caught her human's attention so badly. She hissed at the Clawzord and withdrew her head immediately.

Antonio frowned. "That cat has issues, Av," he pointed out.

"No, no," Ava defended. "Cheetah's just really territorial. She doesn't like change..."

"Especially when that change includes her human's attention drifting somewhere else," Mike nodded, as Cheetah jumped into Emily's arms. "See?" he smiled.

Antonio nodded, before jumping at the suddenly blaring of the Gap Sensor.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Penguin Foldingzord!"

"Dragon Foldingzord!"

"Bear Foldingzord!"

"Mega mode power!"

Kicking off from the ground, Ava, Mike and Kevin materialized inside their respective cockpits, and uploaded their second animal disks to their consoles.

"Swordfish Zord!"

"Beetle Zord!"

"Tiger Zord!"

"Ready when you are, Ava," Kevin nodded.

Tracing the combining symbol in the air, Ava swiped through it with her morpher. "Zords, combine! Samurai Battlewing!"

"Samurai Battlewing! We are united!"

"Punch it!"

Pushing forward on their controls, the three rangers swerved the Battlewing easily through the air, clipping as many Moogers as they could as the swooped in-between them; there was a collision as the foot soldiers stumbled away, after being hit, and, as if caught in a chain reaction, they each exploded after impact.

"Yeah!" Kevin and Mike cheered.

"We did it!"

"Was there any doubt?" Ava grinned, spotting the raging battle between the others and the rest of the miniature Moogers on the ground. "C'mon! Why should they get all the fun?" she asked, ejecting from the cockpit.

"Right behind you, Av," Mike nodded as he and Kevin followed after her.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Urgh!" Emily complained. "These creeps never get tired!"

She glanced over her shoulder and gasped, the second she had eliminated one Mooger another sprouted up from out of nowhere, chasing her towards Antonio, no sooner had she reached the Gold rangers side, Mia and Jayden joined them.

"This isn't looking good," Mia pointed out.

"Ice Naginata!"

"Huh?" Antonio murmured looking up as Ava jumped over him. She removed her white disk from her belt, mid-flight, and secured it to her staff-like weapon, twisted it between her hands and then threw it, as hard as she could, at the approaching Moogers; the Naginata clipped several Moogers as it skimmed through them, turning them instantly to ice sculptures. "Nice entrance!"

Ava shrugged. "Are you guys OK?" she asked, as Kevin and Mike, both wielding their secondary weapons, took out half a dozen Moogers between them, before landing, back-to-back with her and the other Rangers.

"We are now," Emily nodded.

"Wow, there's a whole lot of ugly here," Mike said, as several more Moogers popped up out of nowhere. "Where are they all coming from?"

Kevin shook his head. "The Sanzu river maybe?" he bit back, sarcastically.

"Let's just change this picture," Ava said, cutting across any retort that Mike had up his sleeve. "Jayden..."

"Got it covered," Jayden nodded, securing his fire disk to his spin sword. "Spin sword! Blazing strike!"

"Spin Sword! Dragon Splash!"

"Spin Sword! Air way!"

"Spin Sword! Forest vortex!"

"Spin Sword! Seismic swing!"

"Spin Sword! Snow storm!"

With the combined powers from the six spin swords the Moogers exploded, only to be replaced by half a dozen more.

"What? There's more!" Antonio exclaimed in disbelief. "They're like roaches!"

"Then we have to be the exterminators," Kevin said, as the Moogers grew closer. Once they were close enough, the rangers broke off from one another, each taking on their own set of Moogers, or doubling up with a team-mate and taking one two sets at one time.

Ava had teamed up with Antonio.

"Man, you Moogers just don't quit!" Antonio said, blocking a blade which had been aimed at Ava. The White ranger, who had had her back turned to the offending weapon, hadn't seen the attack coming, and one second later she could have been seriously injured.

"Thanks," Ava sighed, turning around as Antonio shoved the Mooger away from her.

Antonio smiled and nodded. "What kind of friend would I be if I let you get hurt?" he asked, grabbing her and pushing her around him as he attacked another Mooger, falling back-to-back the two friends continued to fight, before the Moogers started to glow a bright red, and turned, abandoning them and starting towards Jayden.

"What's going on?" Ava frowned.

"Red Ranger... Red Ranger... Red Ranger..."

"Guys," Mia called, "they want Jayden!"

"Red Ranger... Red Ranger... Red Ranger..." the Moogers continued to chant as they stalked towards Jayden.

"What are you doing cowards?" Kevin shouted, as the Moogers pushed past him. "Come back and fight!"

"What's going on?" Jayden frowned, turning to a near-by gap as a creepy voice echoed from deep within. It was calling out to him, and it didn't care who heard.

Ava shivered at the familiarity behind the deep growl. She knew that voice... it was the voice that haunted her nightmares.

"Jayden!" she yelled, pushing her way through the Moogers and stumbling into her best friend. She had always run to him when she was afraid or nervous, and right now, she was utterly terrified, that voice, the same voice that made her skin crawl, that had haunted her dreams for thirteen years, was now haunting her every waking moment, and while it was not her he was after it was still freaking her out.

"Master Xandred!" Jayden murmured, recognizing the voice just as easily as Ava.

"Guys, let's circle up to protect Jayden," Kevin shouted, as he and the others jumped over the Moogers and landed around Ava and Jayden.

"I've wanted to try out a new Symbol combination for a while," said Jayden, taking Emily's spin sword from her, "and now seems like a good enough time as any."

"Hey!" Emily exclaimed as her only source of protection was taken from her. She ducked as the Moogers swiped at her, but the blow was deflected as Ava's sword locked blades with the foot soldier and shoved it away. "Thanks!"

"Best friends, right?" Ava smiled.

"Look out!" Emily said suddenly, grabbing Ava's shoulders and forcing her to the floor. Jayden, who had placed a new spin disk on Emily's sword, attacked the Moogers all at once with both fire and lightning, combing both elements to create a blazing storm combination.

"Red Ranger you're in danger," Master Xandred echoed before completely disappearing.

Breathing heavily, the rangers powered down as Jayden walked away. Antonio found Ava, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he spotted the fearful look in her face.

"Why so scared?" he asked.

"My dreams are becoming reality," she murmured, hugging herself closer to him.

She remembered the first time she had ever heard Xandred's voice, she had only been three, it had been the night of her mother's final battle, she had awoken to find her room deserted, her mother and father were nowhere to be seen, the Shiba house was also quiet; curious to where everyone was, she had slipped out of bed and wandered outside, unknowingly wandering straight into a battle that would one day be her own.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Alright," Mike said, the second he and the others had made it back to the safety of the Shiba house. Ava had calmed down a lot since they had left the city. "Can someone please tell me what the heck that voice was back there?"

"I've never heard anything so evil," Emily said.

"That wasn't just any Nighlok was it, Jayden?" Mia asked as they followed him into the living room.

"No," Jayden said, shaking his head. "I think that was Master Xandred."

"Master Xandred?" Kevin gasped, "As in the Lord of the Nighlok's? You think he's back?"

"Are you serious?" Mike asked. "Why would he be calling out 'Red Ranger, Red Ranger', why just you?"

"I think it's safe to say he knows, Jayden," said Ava, speaking for the first time since the Mooger attack.

"Know what?" Antonio asked, looking from one best friend to the other. "Are you guys keeping secrets from us?"

Ava swallowed. "You should ask Daddy," she said, casting her gaze away from her friends. "He knows the story better than me."

"What story, Ava?" Ji asked as he entered the room. "What happened?"

"We think Master Xandred is back,"

Ji tensed and glanced at Jayden, the Red ranger didn't even respond, merely stood frozen, staring at the coffee table.

"Can you tell them what really happened," said Ava, looking up at her father, "on the night that Mommy and Uncle Charlie died?"

Ji nodded and sat down.

"There is a secret symbol that can create a seal," Ji explained, "the previous Red ranger used it to imprison Master Xandred. When Master Xandred last attacked us... it was a surprise, and we were nearly defeated. Ava's mother and Jayden's father were the last two Rangers standing when Master Xandred had finished with the team."

"So, what happened?" Antonio asked, hugging Ava closer to him.

"My mom pushed Uncle Charlie out of the way," Ava said, "just before Master Xandred could deliver the final blow. She gave her life to save him, long enough for him to use the last of his energy to complete the sealing symbol..."

"How do you know?" Mia asked, looking confused.

Ava shuddered. "Because I saw it," she answered. "I saw my Mom die. I saw uncle Charlie seal Master Xandred away... it's what I meant when I said my nightmares were becoming my reality," she looked up at Antonio, "Master Xandred's voice has haunted my nightmares for thirteen years!"

"The Sealing symbol was how Jayden's father sealed Master Xandred away last time," Mentor nodded as Antonio hugged Ava again, this time a little more tightly than before, it was almost as if he was protecting her.

"So that means it is up to Jayden now?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Ji nodded. "Only members of the Red ranger's Shiba family can use the seal."

"I guess that means you really are the man," Mike said, causing Jayden to look up at him. He still hadn't said a word, and without a word, he turned and stormed from the room.

"Jayden!" Kevin sighed, shocked by his departure.

"What's the big deal?" Mike frowned. "Jayden just has to use his special Shiba family symbol to seal Master X..."

"It's not so simple," Ji said, shaking his head. "It takes unbelievable symbol power to make the seal permanent!"

"Uncle Charlie lost his life to the sealing symbol," said Ava. "And I, for one, would like to keep my best friend alive!" she added, before disappearing off after the Red Ranger. Their friendship may have been a little rocky since Luke had found out the secret, but the fact remained that he was _still _her best friend. And she still cared about him.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"This is awesome!" Mike grinned, lowering his training sword and walking back towards the house. "Jayden just has to master the sealing symbol, and Master Xandred will be old news."

"But you head Ava," said Mia, "the last Red ranger couldn't even master the seal."

"And the Ranger before him couldn't master it either," Kevin nodded. "No Ranger has..." he sighed.

"He'll master it, he has too," Emily reassured them. "It's his destiny!"

"That's right," Antonio nodded. "And until then it is our jobs to protect Jayden."

"Antonio's right," Kevin agreed. "This is our new number one mission. Got it?" he added, looking from Mia to Mike and finally, to Emily.

The three of them nodded in agreement.

"If we work as a team," Kevin continued, oblivious to the fact that Jayden had just arrived in the doorway, and was listening to everything that was being said. "We can protect Jayden from anything."

"Now I see it," Emily smiled. "This is why we've been training our whole lives -"

"No!" Jayden said, stepping out into the yard and startling his friends. "That is not necessary. You protect yourselves, its business as usual. Stay focused on the battle at hand, as a team, OK?"

"We must protect you," Kevin said, determined to get his point across. "At all cost!"

"No!" Jayden yelled, hitting a training dummy with his sword. The others jumped in surprise. "That's just too much of a burden to bare."

The Gap sensor sounded, shrilly, and next second Ava appeared in the doorway. "It's a rock quarry downtown," she said, running out of the side gate after Jayden.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Stopping in the middle of the quarry, Kevin turned to Ava. "Are you sure the map said here?" he asked.

"This is the exact place that daddy picked up the energy signature," Ava nodded, looking around.

"Could the map have malfunctioned?" Mia frowned.

Jayden shook his head. "If Mentor says it's here, and then it's here," he defended. "Just keep your eyes open for anything -"

"There!" Antonio said, pointing ahead of them.

The Nighlok scoffed as he stood, over-looking the rangers, from his advantage point. It had proved to be a good idea, seeing as it had taken them a while to find him, yet he had seen them coming from a mile off.

"Which one of you is the Red ranger?" he shouted, his Scottish accent prominent.

Jayden stepped forward.

"Why, hello there," the Nighlok grunted. "Rumor has it that you have some special tricks up your sleeve, the boss has a problem with that so I have to destroy ya, sorry!"

"Sorry?" Jayden repeated. "I'll show you who's gonna be sorry!"

Ava chewed her lower lip as she teetered on the balls of her feet.

"Master Xandred must know that Jayden has the sealing power," Mia whispered to Kevin, as Antonio placed a reassuring hand on Ava's shoulder, for once in his life, he was worried about her mental well-being.

As Jayden strode away from his friends, Kevin and Mike shot forward to stop him.

"This is too dangerous," Kevin said. "This is the exactly the type of battle you should avoid. Let us do our duty and protect you!"

Shrugging off his team-mates, Jayden rushed forward, morphed and leapt up to fight the Nighlok at his level.

"Why won't Jayden listen?" Mia asked.

"I don't know," Antonio said, shaking his head. "Let's just get up there!"

Kevin nodded. "Get out your Samuraizers guys!" he said.

"Go, Go Samurai!" the six of them commanded, morphing instantly into their respective uniforms. Reaching for their Spin Swords, the six rangers raced forward, only to be cut off from their team-leader by an army of Moogers.

"Where did these fishy freaks come from?" Ava yelled, ducking under a sword and whacking a Mooger in the face with the hilt of her blade.

"Jayden!" Kevin yelled, as he looked up to see Jayden deflect another attack from the Monster. He ducked as a Mooger aimed a hit at him, resulting in Mike jumping in to save him.

"Kev, stay focused," Mike chided. "We've got our own fight here!"

"Yeah," Mia nodded, as she teamed-up with Emily. "We've got to beat these Moogers so we can help Jayden."

"And fast," Antonio added, teaming up with Ava.

An almighty explosion rocked the quarry, one that caused Ava to stop, mid-fight, and turn to the battle between Jayden and the Nighlok. "No!" she yelled as she witnessed Jayden being blasted off of the cliff as the Nighlok attacked him with, what she could only guess, had been a double attack of energy waves.

"Look at ya," the Nighlok hissed. "One double slash and you're down for the count!"

"Down... but not out!" Jayden answered, struggling back to his feet.

"I thought you'd be tough, but you're crawling around like a bug," the Nighlok laughed, "and I love to crush bugs!"

Fighting off of the last of his Moogers, Antonio looked up to where his best friend was lying. "Jayden!" he shouted, running towards him, Kevin and Emily in tow.

"No, protect yourselves!" Jayden shouted back at them.

"Double slash!" the Nighlok commanded.

Having not heeded Jayden's warning, Antonio, Emily and Kevin took the blast instead. It rendered them to their knees, after being engulfed in a giant fireball that caught the attention of the last three remaining rangers standing.

"Kevin!" Mike yelled, spinning around.

"Emily!" Mia gasped.

"Antonio!" Ava shouted. "Mike, Mia, we've got to help them!" she added to her friends, as she prepared her spin blade. "Spin swords!"

"Strike!" Mike and Mia added; as the three of them wielded their swords around, engulfing the Moogers in their own fireball, before rushing off to help Jayden protect the others.

"Jayden, are you OK?" Mike asked.

"Seven for the price of one," the Nighlok laughed, as the last three rangers landed in front of him. "That's a deal!"

He raised his sword, however, before he could strike, another Nighlok landed between them. He spun his sword in a full circle, knocking back the Nighlok and taking out Ava, Mia and Mike in the process, and knocking them fully out of their morph.

Jayden gasped and grabbed his spin sword, blocking the second Nighlok's attack seconds before he could take his head off.

"Dekker," Robtish growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Red Ranger is my opponent," the Nighlok called Dekker answered. "I'll ask you once, please leave."

"And what if I don't want too?" Robtish snarled, darting forward.

Ducking under the two blades, Jayden grabbed Ava's dropped Spin sword and blocked both Nighlok's swords as they were aimed at him. The two Nighlok's and one ranger battled it out, moving further and further away from the injured rangers as possible, before finally stopping a fair distance away, with Jayden locked between the two of them.

"OK, boys, you're move," Jayden said.

Suddenly Robtish cringed. "You're both in luck," he said, walking backwards away from them, as cracks appeared all over his body. "I'm dried out. Master Xandred won't be happy about this," he added, pointing at Dekker, before disappearing.

"He'll be back," Jayden said, taking his attention and blades away from Dekker. "Why did you help me?" he asked, turning back to the last remaining Nighlok.

"My only desire is to find someone skilled enough to be my opponent," Dekker answered. "Someone worthy to clash against my sword Uramasa."

Struggling to get back to her feet, Ava watched as Jayden prepared for his second duel with the new Nighlok. "Jayden," she pleaded, "don't fight him!"

But Jayden didn't heed her request. Instead he attacked and blocked with both spin blades, before Dekker hit him in the shoulder, there was a surge of energy, during which he lost complete control of one spin sword, allowing it to hit the floor with a clatter, before he too, fell to his knees.

"No!" Mia cried out.

"That was too easy," Dekker said, shaking his head. "This isn't the battle I want. Robtish's double slash has took too much out of you. Uramasa won't be satisfied unless you are at your peak," he twisted his sword, as he said, "Next time, you will taste his slash!" before slashing downwards, Jayden rolled aside, and the sword sailed straight through the stone that he had been resting against. "Now go! You will need to be at full strength to even have a chance against me!"

He pushed off from the ground and landed on the top of the Quarry wall, his back turned to the rangers, but he addressed Jayden nonetheless.

"Red ranger will satisfy my hunger," he nodded. "You will give me the battle I have desired for centuries. So for now I leave you be, until you are again at your best. Then we will duel!"

"Hey," Ava frowned. "Isn't that -?"

"The weird dude from when we fought that other Nighlok?" Mike asked.

"I think so," Mia nodded.

Pulling away from Mike and Mia, Ava rushed towards Jayden, wrapped her arms around him and helped him back to his feet.

"Hey," Mike shouted. "What are you? Are you a Nighlok?"

"I am Dekker," the Nighlok shrugged. "Nothing more, nothing less!"

And then he was gone.

"Dekker?" Mia frowned.

Ava shook her head as the Pink ranger glanced her away. She had heard no stories of a Nighlok named 'Dekker'; her father had never told her any, and her mother most certainly hadn't.

A low groan caught Mia's attention, and the Pink ranger shifted from Dekker and onto Emily, Kevin and Antonio, all of whom had started to stir.

"Kevin! Emily! Antonio!" she called hurrying back to them, Mike followed her, before Ava, who had made sure that Jayden was OK, joined them. "Just hold on!"

"Daddy?" Ava said, snapping open her morpher and calling her father. "We need help. Kevin, Emily and Antonio are beat up..."

Antonio groaned and clutched his stomach, as Ava rolled him over and rested him against her.

"Just hold on, Emily," Mia said, soothing the Yellow ranger who was also in a lot of pain. "Just hold on!"

"Did you get him?" Kevin asked.

"He'll be back," Mike answered, glancing across at Ava, who nodded once and turned back to Antonio, as Jayden joined them. "They always come back!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"_What do you mean you can't make it tonight?"_ Luke asked.

Ava sighed as she wandered outside, her phone pressed to her ear. She had decided to cancel her date with Luke that evening in order to look after Antonio, Emily and Kevin with the others. "It means exactly what it sounds like," she said. "There was an attack earlier today; Antonio, Emily and Kevin were seriously injured... Daddy wants -"

"_Can Mike and Mia deal with them?"_ Luke asked. "_It's only for one night, Av,"_

"I know," Ava nodded, despite the fact that he couldn't see her. "But I feel a responsibility to look out for them. If the situation were reversed, I know for a fact that none of them would bail on me. I'm sorry, Luke, but I have to stay home."

"_What about Jayden?"_

"What about him?"

"_Was he injured?"_

"No, thankfully," Ava answered, sounding relieved. "Well, not as bad as Kevin, Emily and Antonio anyway. He did sustain a few injuries, but he's fine now."

"_That's a good thing, I guess,"_ Luke said, and Ava missed the sound of disappointment, mixed with a hint of relief in his voice. He was disappointed that Jayden hadn't take that bad of a hit, it didn't take a genius to figure out that he didn't like the Red ranger, some would even go as far to say he was jealous of him, which he wouldn't have denied even if he was accused of it, but he was also relieved that he hadn't been hurt too badly, which would have resulted in Ava having to take care of him too.

Ava nodded. "Luke, I am really sorry," she apologized again. "But my team needs me... you understand, right?"

"_Yeah,"_ Luke answered. "_I understand. I mean, you're a Power Ranger, I guess i'm gonna have to deal with coming second to saving the world!"_

"Luke, it's not like that," Ava sighed in annoyance. "But in saving the world, aren't I saving you too?"

"_I guess I should be grateful for that,"_

"So why don't you sound grateful?"

"_I am,"_ Luke promised. "_It would just be nice to be able to see you more often..."_

"I know, but I promised daddy that I wouldn't let my training or Ranger duties slide, despite having a boyfriend," Ava explained. "Saving the world comes first. I'm sorry, I know it sucks, but it's the way it has to be! You're just going to have to learn to deal with coming second, at least until the last Nighlok has been defeated, and Master Xandred is locked away for good."

"_That sounds like a long time..."_

"Well, no one knows for sure how long it will take," Ava agreed. "But if i'm willing to take the risk, in order to make this relationship work, doesn't that count for something?"

"_How big of a risk?"_

"I don't want you to get hurt, Luke,"

"_And that could happen?"_

"Very easily..." Ava nodded, as she realized that she had wandered into the front yard. She had started her conversation in the back yard, watching as Cheetah danced and pawed at the fireflies that swooped down and batted away moths as they seeked out the heat of the outside lights, now she was in the front yard, watching from the shadows as Jayden crossed to the front gate.

She stepped back, hiding around the side of the house, careful for Jayden not to see her.

Jayden glanced back to the Shiba house, shook his head, and then disappeared through the gate.

Ava frowned. _**Where is he going?**_ She thought, as she heard her father calling out Jayden's name from inside the house, and her name being called faintly from over the phone line. Luke had obviously said or asked something and she had completely missed it, resulting in him calling her name to make sure that she was still there.

"Luke, I'm sorry," she apologized again. "But I can't make it... and I gotta go! I'll call you in the morning to let you know how everyone is. Bye."

But before Luke had a chance to respond, Ava had snapped her phone shut, stuffed it back into her pocket, and took off after her best friend.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N: **Big thank you too **Grapejuice101** and** Jessfairy88** for their motivation in writing this chapter. They've both been incredibly awesome and I can't fault them for their help.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Thursday, November 08, 2012 at 04:52am**


	14. Chapter 14: Jayden's Challenge

**Author's Note:** I have decided that this story will be updated every Tuesdays, giving me a chance to update my other stories, but also focus on my University work too. Have fun.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too: **LittleZebra, DustinHunterPRNS** and **TheOnePerson1234** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

**Last Time on Power Rangers Samurai**

_"Red Ranger! Red Ranger!"_

_"Guys! They want Jayden!"_

_"I've never heard anything so evil!"_

_"That was Master Xandred!"_

_"Why the Moogers only after Jayden?"_

_"Only members of the Red Ranger Shiba family can use the seal!"_

_"We have to protect Jayden that's our number one mission."_

_"No!"_

_"__**This is my fight. I must do this my way!"**_

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Ava," Ji called as he stepped outside. Mike had just told him that she had stepped out to call Luke in order to cancel their standing date that evening. "Ava, are you out here?"

There was no answer.

Ji sighed as he noticed the gates were open. "Ava, what have you done this time?" he murmured. He didn't want to think that Ava had left the Shiba house again, but he had a feeling that if she had been outside during the time that Jayden had been leaving, he knew that Ava would have gone after him.

Had the weight of leading the Samurai rangers become too heavy for Jayden to carry? If that was the case, then what could he possibly do to help him?

There was only so much that one could train a destined Samurai ranger, but to train him to be a leader and ask him to carry the weight of the world, not to mention put others in danger, was another thing all together. It was not something that was easy to ask of a child, even if that child was nineteen years old.

_"She's lost her mother," said Damien. "Of course she is going to be feeling lost and alone, even if she isn't truly lost and alone."_

_"So what do I do?" asked Ji._

_Damien sighed. "Evie and I felt exactly the same way when we lost our mother. But our dad just gave us some time alone, to deal with everything. Ava just needs a little bit of time," he nodded. "She'll come around, Ji; she's a strong kid, just like her mother."_

_"But she'll never be the same,"_

_"The feeling of losing someone important to you will never fade, Ji," Damien said, shaking his head. "But it will get easier. Ava will never forget Evie and neither will you; she will always be with you both, but holding onto her is not going to bring her back, she has gone, as hard as it is to accept, you must. She has gone, but she will never be forgotten!"_

_Ji heaved a heavy sigh and nodded. "Time..."_

_"... and space," Damien nodded, finishing his tea and standing. "If you need anything else, just give me a call."_

_He patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder, and left the Shiba house, only stopping to watch Jayden and Ava play quietly in the dojo before leaving completely._

Ji smiled, faintly. That was it. Time and space.

When Evelyn had died, Ava had become a different person. She had retreated within herself, became quiet, less trusting. She refused to speak to anyone, including himself, but she always remained faithful and true to Jayden; worried for his daughter, Ji had done the one thing he could thing of and that was to call Evelyn's older brother, Damien.

Damien had explained that Ava reminded him so much of his late sister, even down to the way she was acting now. When they had lost their mother, Ava's grandmother, and the White ranger before Evelyn, his father had given them time and space to come to terms with the abrupt removal from their family.

Was that what he needed to give Jayden? Time? Time to deal with everything that had happened over the past couple of months? If that were the case, and it would bring Jayden home, safely, then he was willing to step back, and allow his godson to take as much time as he needed, he just hoped his daughter understood that too.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava groaned as the morning sun broke through the hazy darkness of her sleep, she rolled onto her side, and yelped as her bed disappeared from beneath her.

"Ow," she groaned, as she sat up and looked at her hands. But instead of seeing smooth skinned palms, she saw flashed of red. She had cut herself? But how - Ava's eyes widened as the stinging her palms brought her quickly to her senses, the only way she could have cut herself was if she hadn't fallen out of her bed and onto a soft carpet.

Quickly looking around, the White ranger's eyes widened as she realized that she wasn't in the safety of her bedroom, or her bed, for that matter. She was, however, sitting in front of a bench looking out to sea. She frowned; how the hell had she ended up out here? Then she remembered. She had fallen asleep while she had been keeping an eye on Jayden -

"Jayden!" Ava gasped jumping to her feet and looking around. There was no sign of the Red ranger. He must have moved on while she had been sleeping, but why hadn't he awoken her? He must have seen her, right? There was no way he could have not seen her, it wasn't like she was undercover or anything, she was completely exposed and out in the open.

What if he had seen her, but walked straight past her?

Ava felt a stab of betrayal pierce her heart. Would he have done that? For real?

The White ranger shook her head, clearing it of any unwanted thoughts. Jayden wouldn't have done that to her, if he had left the general area he would have seen her, he would have seen her and awoken her from her sleep, he would have asked her what she was doing there, and then he would have ordered her to go back home. She was sure of it.

As she sat contemplating on where to look next for Jayden, Ava heard a small sob from over her shoulder. She frowned, paused, and looked around. There was a small boy, no older than six or seven; he was sitting alone on a bench just inside the park; an older brunette woman stood a few feet away, she kept throwing glances over at the boy, possibly checking to make sure that he was still there.

_**Probably is mom**_ Ava thought, before she saw the older woman look back to the children that were playing around her. _**Or teacher**_ she added as an afterthought. She couldn't help but wonder what was making the little boy so upset, he should have been laughing and playing with his fellow classmates, not sitting by himself and crying. Was he hurt? He didn't look hurt.

Deciding that she wanted to be sure that this little boy was alright, at least before she left to continue her search for Jayden, Ava jumped up and turned to climb over the small wall that separated the park from the beach; she stopped, however, as Jayden moved into her line of sight and knelt beside the kid.

She sighed; at least Jayden hadn't gone _too_ far.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Jayden asked, kneeling in front of the little boy.

"My daddy went away for a job," the boy answered through his tears. "And I miss him!"

Ava couldn't help but smile sadly. Both she and Jayden knew exactly how the kid felt, they both had lost someone close to them, the kids father may have still been alive, he still couldn't see him; just how she couldn't see her mother, and Jayden couldn't see his father.

Granted Jayden still had a mother, who was protecting his older sister, but that was beside the point. Jayden hadn't seen his mother since he was six years old.

"You want to see a trick?" Jayden asked, breaking Ava from her thoughts. The White ranger looked up to see him remove his samuraizer from his pocket and open it. She couldn't see what he was doing from where she was, but she could only assume that she as tracing a symbol on the bench.

Next second, Jayden leaned back and held up a red paper airplane.

Ava smiled as she remembered how Jayden's father would always make them paper airplanes to play with when they were small. As the paper airplane soared through the air, the White ranger giggled as the little boy smiled through his tears, watching as it swooped over his playmates and teacher.

Jumping down from the bench, the little boy run off, leaving Jayden to laugh quietly at his energetic nature. If he hadn't just cheered the boy up, he wouldn't have believed that he had been crying. Hearing a rustle in the bushes behind him, the Red ranger tensed, before relaxing as Ava popped up beside him.

"How'd you sleep?"

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew!"

"Then why couldn't you have let me know that you knew!"

"I was hoping you'd give up and go back home!"

"If you weren't my best friend, I would have!" Ava snapped, angrily crossing her arms and looking away from him. "I hate you!" she added, spitefully.

Jayden chuckled and, despite how rocky their friendship had become, he couldn't help wrapping his arm around her and hugging her to him. "If you hated me so much, you wouldn't have followed me all night." he said. "So, how did you sleep?"

"If you had let on to the fact that I was following you, I would have slept fine!" Ava answered her eyes still on the little kids.

"How do you work that one out?"

"I could have slept against you," Ava answered. "Rather than on a bench! But no, you had to be mean, and ignore me! Some best friend you turned out to be!"

Jayden rolled his eyes. "I apologize," he said, "and I'll make it up to you!"

"Yeah, you will," Ava nodded, determined to make him suffer more for his actions, but she felt her hate slipping as he continued to hug her, promising her things that he would do to make it up to her. He had already promised her cookies, ice cream and half a dozen other stuff that she knew she was not allowed.

They were silent for a few minutes, each just holding the other, and watching the children playing and having fun.

"This is how it should be," Jayden said, breaking the silence. "No monsters. No threat -"

"Just kids having fun?"

Jayden nodded.

Ava smiled. "What world is that?" she asked, looking up at him.

Now that she was closer, and looking at him fully, Jayden could see that her eyes were rimmed red, a clear sign that she hadn't slept well the previous evening and was fighting the tiredness that threatened to envelope her now; he couldn't help but feel a tad guilty, if he hadn't left then she wouldn't have followed him and, therefore, she wouldn't have looked like she was ready to pass out from exhaustion.

"What do you mean?" he asked, brushing a stray curl from her face.

"I want to live in a world where there are no monsters," Ava answered. "Where there is no threat..." she looked away from him, and back out across the playing to where the children were still laughing and playing without a care in the world. "I want to live in a world where we can be free; free to do what we want, and be who we want to be!"

"That's a perfect world!"

Ava smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I want to live in a perfect world!" she said. "Too bad that world only exists in the form of dreams and movies."

Jayden squeezed her tightly, kissing the top of her head, before looking up as the sound of screaming echoed from beyond the playground.

"Speaking of monsters..." he muttered, spotting the Moogers.

"Aw you had to say it!" Ava complained, snapping open her samuraizer and tracing a symbol through the air. She slashed it and her spin sword appeared in her hand. "I think I'm gonna hibernate after this," she muttered, as she run towards the fish-faced foot soldiers.

Ducking under a sword, Ava swung her own around and cut down as many Moogers as she could, whilst Jayden fought alongside her.

"The kids!" he said, spotting more Moogers running towards the screaming youngsters.

"Go!" Ava yelled, noticing his hesitation. She knew he was worried about her. Cutting down more Moogers, Ava turned to her best friend and touched his shoulder. "I'll be fine, Jayden, go help them!" she promised.

Jayden hesitated, before nodding and taking off.

Ava smiled, faintly and shook her head, turning back to the ambushing Moogers. "When will you guys quit?!" she snapped, jumping into the air and double kicking two Moogers away from her, and cutting down three more.

"My airplane!"

"Huh?" Ava frowned, recognizing the tiny voice. She spun around and gasped as the little boy that Jayden had been talking to her earlier, stood in front of Robtish. The Nighlok extended his claw towards the little boy. "Hey! Back off!" she yelled, jumping over more Moogers and slashing down Robtish with her spin sword. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not nice to pick on little kids?"

"No," the Nighlok laughed. "I'll show you what she taught me you annoying little Samurai!"

"Jayden, get him out of here!"

Jayden nodded, run towards the kid and picked him up around the waist, and carried him to safety, as Ava battled Robtish. She was in civilian form, so he knew that she wasn't truly battling him, mostly trying to keep out of his reach as not to get hurt.

"Double slash!" Robtish yelled.

"No!" Jayden yelled rushing towards his best friend. He remembered what that attack did to Antonio, Emily and Kevin yesterday, it had knocked them completely out of their morphed state. He didn't even want to think of the damage it could have done to Ava while she didn't have her suit to protect her. "Ava, look out!"

"Huh - what?" Ava frowned, as Jayden collided with her, knocking her out of the way of Robtish's attacking. Jayden hit the ground first, his arms wrapped tightly around Ava, as he clutched her to him. "Um... this is a little awkward!" she said, once she had realized their position, a dull blush rose in her cheeks and she hoped that Jayden didn't notice.

Jayden laughed lightly. "I just saved your life and that's all you can say?" he asked.

"My brains a little rattled," Ava shrugged, getting off of him. "Sue me!"

"Isn't that sweet," Robtish drawled as he appeared behind them. "Dayu warned me about you two! But she failed to mention how sickening it was to watch you flirt helplessly with one another."

Ava rolled her eyes. "I am so over you!" she snapped, grabbing her spin sword from the floor. She had dropped it when Jayden had collided with her.

"Such brave words for a little Samurai," Robtish laughed. "But it is not you I am after, it is the Red ranger I want!"

"You're gonna have to go through me first, Nighlok!" Ava said, bravely stepping in front of her best friend.

Robtish laughed again.

"Ava, what are you doing?" Jayden demanded, trying to move her. She wouldn't budge. "Ava, he'll destroy you!"

"I'd rather him destroy me than you!" Ava argued. "You're the one that's more valuable right now! Jayden, you can't treat me like one of the others! I know the truth about the sealing symbol," she added in a low whisper, so that only Jayden could hear, "I know about Lauren... you're her baby brother, and my best friend! So please, let me help you!"

Jayden sighed. "But I -" he started.

"Need me," Ava finished for him. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page!" she nodded and turning back to Robtish. She heard Jayden sigh and glanced back to see him shaking his head. "Or, you could just stand here and I'll destroy him myself!"

"Who are you, and what have you done with Ava?" Jayden asked, surprised at her change of attitude. The Ava he knew was not this brave or outspoken. What had happened to her?

Ava flashed him a smile. "Sorry, the Ava you know is not here right now," she answered. "She's formulating a plan on how to save her best friend, because he's doing what he does best, and that's being stubborn! Leave your message at the -" she cut off as Robtish, angered by their bantering, stormed forward, grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air.

"Her voice was starting to annoy me," Robtish said. "I prefer them _silent_!"

"Silent but deadly!"

Jayden looked up as Mike and Kevin jumped over the Moogers, wielding their spin blades. They were unmorphed, but looked furious. Their blades connected with Robtish's back, and the Nighlok dropped Ava. She hit the ground, but her legs buckled under her weight and she landed on her hands and knees, clutching her throat and coughing.

"Ava, are you OK?" Emily asked as she and Mia rushed in from the sides. They knelt beside Ava, checking her over, as Antonio rushed in, using his superspeed, and attacking Robtish with his Barracuda blade.

Jayden smiled at their team-work. This was _his_ team; they stood together and protected one another; that is what Ava was trying to tell him.

"Alright, Av," he nodded, picking up her spin sword and handing it to her, as Mia and Emily continued to fuss over her. "I don't like putting any of you in danger, but someone has to stop the Nighlok, and I'm glad it us!"

Ava blinked and then took her spin sword. "Rangers together..." she grinned. "Samurai forever!"

Jayden nodded and fell into formation as the others regrouped.

"Samuraizers!" the seven of them yelled out. "Go, Go Samurai!"

"Samurai ranger, ready!"

"Good," Robtish snarled. "I can destroy you all together! May as well go out as a team!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After destroying the Moogers, and following Robtish into the cities underground car park. The rangers regrouped with Jayden, ready to end Robtish's miserable existence like they did every other Nighlok.

"Together, our team can handle anything you throw at us," Jayden said.

"Prove it!" Robtish challenged.

Ava smirked and looked up at Jayden. He nodded once and stepped back as Robtish attacked, clashing blades with Emily and Mia, who pushed him away; moving aside, the Pink and Yellow rangers made room for Kevin and Mike to move in, leaving Ava and Antonio to protect Jayden, before he could move in for the final strike.

"See how your team deals with this!" Robtish growled as he picked himself up from the ground.

"He'll start with a shock wave," Jayden told his team. "Then watch for his slash attack; defend against those and we'll be fine. Ava, you ready?"

Ava nodded. "The sooner he's gone," she said, "the sooner I can hibernate!"

"Hibernate?" Mike frowned.

"Jayden owes me a nap time," Ava pointed out. "Oh, and cookies and ice cream."

"You're dad's not going to like that," Emily said.

Ava shrugged. "It's Jayden's fault for making me follow him all night!" she said, removing herself from the battle front. From where she now stood, behind Jayden, she watched as Emily and Mia handled Robtish's shockwave, Kevin and Mike dealt with the double slash attack, Antonio caught Robtish of guard with his Barracuda Blade, before coming face-to-face with Jayden's fire smasher.

"What?" Robtish growled.

"Ready?" Jayden asked as Ava attached her Tiger disk to the side of the fire smasher, and clapped her hands, excitedly as he transformed it into his secondary weapon. "Seven disk tiger cannon!" The plan had been for her to destroy Robtish, just like she had wanted to do in the park, and since she had followed him all night, Jayden was more than happy to let her finish what she had started.

"Lend us your disks," Ava called to the others.

They nodded, tossing their disks through the air and slotting them, as if they were magnetic, into the cannon.

"Strike!" Ava said, firing the weapon.

The blast hit Robtish and he exploded.

"Ava, you did it!" Antonio congratulated, as he lifted Ava off of her feet and spun her around, much to the White ranger's own enjoyment. Hey, it was better than being tossed into any body of water that he could find.

"That was awesome!" Ava giggled, hugging the Gold ranger.

"Unfortunately, he's not done." Jayden said, breaking them apart.

Ava huffed and folded her arms, childishly. "He sucks!" she pouted.

"Majorly," Mike agreed, patting her shoulder.

Ava smiled. "Ah well, no rest for the wicked!" she shrugged. "C'mon, Pingu!" she said, taking her Foldingzord from her pocket. "We got a job to finish! Penguin Foldingzord! Mega Mode power!"

While Ava took to the skies in her Penguin Zord, Antonio turned to Jayden. "You haven't, by any chance, given her sugar today?" he asked.

"No," Jayden said, shaking his head. "I think she's just _really_ tired!" he explained, before following Ava's lead and taking to his Lion Foldingzord.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Once the six core rangers had created the Samurai Megazord, Antonio morphed into Mega mode and combined the Octozord to create Octo-spear Megazord.

"Oh, do you really think I'm afraid of you now?" Robtish asked, as he stood opposite the rangers. "Flying Moogers!"

Glancing out at the city, to any available crack that they could see, the rangers gasped as a swarm of Moogers appeared, only this time they weren't normal giant Moogers, these lot had -

"Wings?" Emily squeaked.

"That's not fair!" Ava whined.

"They fly now too?" Mike complained.

The flying Moogers swooped down over the rangers, firing their lasers at them and causing sparks to explode all over the Megazord. While trying to maintain their balance from the aerial attack, the rangers seemingly forgot that they had a Nighlok to also battle with, that was at least until he caught them with his blade.

"We're caught between them!" Mia exclaimed.

"We've got to get this Megazord stable," Jayden grunted, as he forced the Megazord down behind a tall building.

"Having a little trouble over there?" Robtish called.

Mike gasped. "Oh! The Samurai Battlewing will take out these flying rats!"

"Wait! I have an even better idea!" Kevin added. "We should combine the Samurai Battlewing with the Megazord."

Ava frowned. "We can do that?" she asked.

"I think so," Kevin nodded.

"Kev, your sketch book," Mia prompted.

The Blue ranger nodded and pulled out several paper plans, he handed them out to his friends, all of whom crowded around the other to read them.

"I guess what you were doing was better than playing Video games," Mike laughed.

"Wow," Antonio nodded. "I really think this will work!"

"OK, Kevin," Jayden nodded. "Why don't you take the lead on this?"

"Thanks, Jayden," Kevin said. "I got it!"

Forcing the Megazord to its feet, Kevin turned it to face Robtish, who was surprised to see the sudden reappearance of it.

"First we need the Samurai Battlewing!" Kevin said, holding up his blue disk.

"Right!" Mike and Ava nodded, following his lead.

"Swordfish Zord!"

"Tiger Zord!"

"Beetle Zord!"

"Zords combine!"

The Samurai Battlewing screeched as it formed the powerful bird that the rangers knew it was. The second the crown on its head formed, the bird fired several energy blasts at Robtish, who growled at agony, shaking the city has he was thrown backwards and landing with a hard crunch.

"It's an air strike combination," Jayden said, turning the page of the plans.

Tracing the symbol in the air, the six core rangers formed it into one. Antonio disappeared from the cockpit as the Octozord detached itself, and the Samurai Battlewing reattached itself to the Samurai Megazord instead.

"Battlewing Megazord! We are united!"

Ava laughed as she looked around. Her console had changed, slightly, instead the head of a penguin; it now had the head of a tiger. "It worked!" she exclaimed. "Way to go, Kev!"

"Yeah! We did it!" Kevin bounced happily and excitedly. "We did it!"

"I'm impressed!" Jayden nodded, just as Robtish got back to his feet.

"What is that thing?" Robtish asked.

"Hey, here's something new!" Kevin said, as the Samurai Megazord took to the skies, blasting the Flying Moogers into dust.

"Bye-bye Birdies!" Ava and Emily giggled, before they returned to finish Robtish.

"I thought you'd flown the coop," the Nighlok said as he turned to face the Rangers again.

"Looks like we've saved the worst for last," said Jayden preparing the Megazord for the final attack.

Robtish growled. "Fine! I'll finish this myself!" he said, rushing forward and raising his sword. The blade clashed against the Megazords, before the Rangers forced it into the air, and used their own to slice through Robtish's armor.

"Let's fly up so we can take him down!" Kevin said, pushing forward on his controls.

The others copied his actions and the Megazord took to the skies again.

"Follow my lead," said Jayden, removing his Mega blade from the console.

"Mega blade, activate!" the others said, mimicking his actions.

"Katana power!" Ava said.

"Flying slash!" the rangers commanded, as their sword powered up to its fullest. "Mega spin! Katana strike! Final strike!"

The Katana sword cut straight through Robtish, leaving the rangers to cheer as he keeled over and exploded.

"Samurai rangers, victory is ours!"

"Yes!" Antonio cheered from the ground. Since the Samurai Battlewing had combined with the Megazord, he and Octozord and surveyed the battle from the ground. Maybe next time, he could convince Kevin to _include_ his Zord in the battle, that way he wouldn't be left out, but nonetheless, he was glad Robtish was finally gone.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ji paced the porch as he awaited the return of his rangers; he silently wished that Ava and Jayden would be with them. He was no longer mad that Ava had left, he just wished that she had told him, rather than go off by herself, but he also realized that she didn't have much time to come tell him, that and he probably would have stopped her from going after Jayden anyway.

The gates to the Shiba house opened, causing him to pause and look up. He felt his heart hammering, rather painfully inside his rib cage, as he waited with bated breath to see who had returned, a long, low sigh escaped him, as a smile came to his face when he saw all seven rangers running towards him.

"Jayden!" he called. "Ava!"

"Daddy!" Ava squealed running ahead of the others and straight into her father's waiting arms. "I'm sorry I left again without telling you!"

Ji smiled and kissed her forehead. "I know," he nodded. "I'm just glad you're OK."

"Tired," Ava nodded, "and I got a few new bruises!"

"But fine nonetheless," Jayden said.

Ava smiled across at him, but didn't remove herself from her father's embrace.

"And I'm sorry too," Jayden nodded, shaking hands with his godfather. "I shouldn't have left, at least not for the reason that I did."

"It doesn't matter," Ji told him. "As long as your back."

"I'm back where I need to be," Jayden said, smiling at his friends. "I'm back with my team!"

"Yeah, and if he tries to leave again, Antonio promised that he'd help tie him up." Ava giggled.

Antonio looked startled. "Huh - what - when did I promise this?" he asked, turning to his best friend.

"Technically, you haven't agreed yet," Ava smiled. "But can you really say no to me?" she asked, offering him her best puppy dog eyes.

Antonio groaned and looked away.

Mike chuckled and patted the Gold ranger's shoulder. "She's got you there, mate," he said.

"I think you all deserve some fun," Ji decided. "Go ahead, whatever you want... but -" he added quickly, pointing at Ava, "no cookies!"

Ava gaped at her father. "But Jayden promised!" she whined. But her father's stern look was unmoving. "Fine!" she caved. "But I still get ice cream, right? Please!" she begged, clutching her father's arm and jumping up and down.

Ji sighed. "Fine. The ice cream in the freezer!" he said.

"Yes!" said Ava, disappearing into the house, as the others followed, discussing which movie they were going to see later that evening.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N: **See you next Tuesday.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Monday, November 12, 2012 at 05:06pm**


	15. Chapter 15: The Tengen Gate

**Author's Note:** Hey! Would you believe it's been a week already? Here is the next chapter in the **Little Samurai** series. I hope you enjoy it.

**Author's Note Two: **This episode was fun to watch - but murder to get started. I must have started it several thousand times; I hope you enjoy what I finally managed to create.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too: **xToriBradleyx** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

**Quick message:** Any fans of my Lightning Sisters saga. I apologize in advance if there is no update tomorrow. I have timed assignment from University that is out tomorrow and due in on Friday; it will probably take up most of my free time over the next two days. If that _is_ the case then you can expect a double update sometime this week. Possibly one update Friday, along with the Hannah Bradley series, and the second update on Sunday.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

"_Where are you?"_

"At home."

"_How fast would it take you to get into town?"_

"Why?"

"_There is something you need to see..._"

Ava frowned into the phone. "Can't it wait?" she asked. "I'm in the middle of training."

"_Stay away from it, you idiot! We don't know what it is!"_

_"Chill out, Luke, we're only having fun!"_

"Luke, who are you with?"

"_Tyson and the others_," Luke answered. "_Av, there is some freaky red water leaking out of one of the storm drains. I think it is Sanzu river water! Ty just tossed a rock into it, and it's completely burnt._"

Ava's eyes widened. That did sound like Sanzu River water. "OK," she nodded. "I'll check it out. Could you, by any chance, tell me exactly where you are?"

She dropped her training sword and hurried into the Shiba house, she bypassed the kitchen, where her friends were finishing breakfast, past the dojo, where Jayden and Kevin were sparring, and into the living room where her father was rearranging the bookshelves. Placing her hand on the coffee table, Ava brought up the map and, with Luke's help, quickly pin-pointed the location of the Sanzu pool.

"Yeah, I'm looking at it right now," she confirmed.

"Looking at what?" Mike asked, as he led the others into the room.

Ava glanced up at him for a brief second, before looking back at the map. "Thanks, Luke," she nodded. "I'll call you! Bye!" she hung up and turned to her father. "Luke found a pool of Sanzu River water outside the park!"

"What?" Kevin asked, almost immediately.

"Does that mean the Sanzu River is rising?" Emily asked, slightly alarmed.

Jayden inspected the map, just in case Luke had gotten it wrong, but the spot that Ava had magnified as the location Luke had given her was flashing red. He couldn't deny that the delivery boy had in fact found a pool of Sanzu water.

"I don't believe this," Mike said, running his fingers through his hair. "How can this be happening?"

"Master Xandred must be getting stronger," Ji sighed.

"So what do we do?" Mia asked. "We've beaten the Nighlok every single time! But the Sanzu River is still seeping into our world, what would have happened if Luke hadn't found it? Or what if he had found it, but he didn't know Ava? We would have been none the wiser!"

Ava stared at the map, while Antonio, who had taken up permanent residence at the Shiba house with the other Samurai rangers, stared at Ava. "I guess having an outside boyfriend really does help," he said, winking at the White ranger, who smiled faintly, but refused to make eye contact with any of them, especially Jayden.

"We can't think about winning or losing," said Jayden, trying to ignore the two of them. Antonio knew how he felt about Luke, yet the Gold ranger tried to make the delivery boy feel welcome whenever he was around; Jayden knew he was trying to be nice for Ava's sake, but what about his? Antonio knew, very well, how he felt about Ava. "We have to believe in ourselves and keep fighting!"

"Jayden's right," Kevin agreed. "We can't just give up!"

Ji, who had broken away from the group and left the room, finally returned, carrying a leather bound book in his hands,. "I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Because I may have found something that could help us." He flipped to the right page of the book, and then dropped it onto the table for the others to see.

"The Black Box?" Jayden asked, looking up. "Ji, we can't!"

"What is it?" Mia asked.

"It's a magical talisman," Ji explained, "created by the very first Red Samurai Ranger. It is said that it can unite the symbol powers of all Samurai rangers into one."

"OK, cool," Mike gasped. "So let's fire it up!"

"It's not that simple," said Ava. "The Red Ranger never finished it!"

"Many have tried," Ji nodded. "But none of them have the skill or power to complete it."

The Rangers sighed in defeat. They had just been presented with a chance of fighting back, even more against the Nighlok, only for it to be ripped away before they could even grasp onto it firmly.

"What about Antonio?" Emily suggested, pointing at the Gold ranger. "I mean, you are a Whiz-tech, aren't you?"

"Well, I -" Antonio stuttered, embarrassed. "Not everything is as simple as programming a morpher now, is it?"

"Couldn't you at least give it a go?" Mike asked, hopefully.

"I could," Antonio nodded.

"But you don't have mastery of Symbol power like we do," Kevin pointed out. "You know how much it drains us every time we use it."

Antonio stared, affronted. "You don't think I can do it, do you?" he asked, slightly defensive.

"Antonio, we have every faith that you, out of all of us, would be able to master the Black Box," Ava nodded. "But Kevin's right, without mastery of symbol power, even trying to transfer a few of our symbol powers into the box could destroy you!"

"Ava, none of us what to see Antonio get hurt," Emily persisted.

"But if he's willing," Mike agreed, patting the Gold ranger on the shoulder. "Then I expected you of all people to give him a shot!"

"I just don't want to lose him!" Ava argued. "Not again!"

Antonio sighed and stepped closer to his friend. "You won't lose me again," he promised, drawing her into a hug. "At least not until Xandred's locked away for good!"

Ava sighed and melted into his embrace. "It's not up to me," she said. "I can argue with all day and night if I wanted, but the final decision resides with Jayden," she pointed at the Red ranger, who had been silent up to this point.

He, just like Ava, was hesitant to let Antonio take on this task, he still regretted the decision, at times, of allowing him to become a part of the team, but he knew that was no longer his choice to make, but this? This was a different thing all together.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jayden asked, finally looking up at his friend.

"The ultimate hack job," he grinned. "Bring it on!"

Jayden nodded, defeated. "Then OK," he agreed.

"First, we must retrieve the Black Box," Ji said.

"Where is it?"

Ji glanced at Ava, who grinned in response.

"The Tengen Gate!" she stated.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"What's going on?" Mia asked as she and Antonio entered the kitchen later that evening to find Jayden, Ava and Mentor sitting around the breakfast table.

Mentor reached into his kimono and pulled out four plane tickets. He handed one to each of the rangers.

"I have chosen you four to go to the Tengen Gate and retrieve the Black Box," Mentor explained.

"Where _is_ the Tengen Gate?" Antonio asked.

"Japan," Ava answered, scooping up Cheetah and cuddling her close.

"Why us?" Mia asked. "Why not send all of us?"

"I am sending just the four of you, because I cannot leave the Paranoma city unprotected," Mentor answered. "Kevin will act as leader in your absence, Jayden," he nodded at the Red ranger.

"When do we leave?" Jayden asked.

"First thing in the morning," Mentor told them. "I've packed all essentials in your bags, you'll find them in your rooms, but I have also left room if you wish to pack a few more personal items for the journey, and no, Cheetah does not pass as a personal item."

"You're no fun!" Ava pouted, kissing the feline's head.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

_Purrrrrr..._

Ava froze as she set her backpack on her lap.

Jayden, who sat beside her, paused and turned in her direction. "Did you just purr?" he asked.

"Yeah," the White ranger nodded, anxiously.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"You're weird!"

Ava grinned. "Nope. I'm cute!" she said, turning her attention away from him and out of the window. They had yet to take off, and she could still see the airport from where she was seated, and the runway ahead. It had been many years since she had been on a plane to Japan.

"Can't argue with you there," she heard Jayden agree, and tried to suppress the light smile that graced her face.

"I can't wait to see Daisuke," Ava said turning away from the window and facing Jayden. She curled her legs up under her and hugged her backpack close to her chest.

Jayden eyed it, warily. "Ava, let me put that overhead for you," he offered, reaching for the drawstrings.

"No, it's OK," Ava said, clutching the bag closer. "It has Mike's games in it!"

_Purrrrrr..._

"I think it has a little more than games in it," Jayden accused.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you didn't just purr," Jayden pointed out. "You smuggled Cheetah out, didn't you?"

Upon hearing her name, Cheetah squeezed her head through the small hole at the top of the pack, and mewed at Jayden.

"Ava!" the Red ranger scolded. "What do you have to say?"

"Guilty has charged?"

Jayden narrowed his eyes at her. "Why did you bring her?" he asked, lowering his voice to above a whisper. If the flight attendants heard or saw that they had an animal on board then they'd be kicked off for sure.

"I couldn't leave her behind," Ava whined. "I know Daddy and Emily would have taken care of her, but I - I couldn't leave her! I'm sorry!"

Jayden sighed as Ava lowered her gaze from his and down at the cat that was between them. "I know you are," he nodded, brushing a curl behind her ear. "Just keep her out of sight. The last thing we need is an emergency landing! Alright?"

"You're not going to tell Daddy, are you?"

"There is not much he can do while we're half way around the world,"

Ava smiled, sheepishly, and rested her head against his shoulder. "Thanks, Jayden," she said, closing her eyes and waiting for the plane to take off. Right now, if anyone asked, she'd just say that Cheetah was a stuffed animal that she had packed because she feared flying.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Several hours later, Jayden was shaking Ava awake.

"Ava, c'mon," said Jayden.

"Mhmm, five more minutes!"

"No, we've landed. Time to get off."

Blinking groggily, Ava, like a small child, rubbed her knuckles into her eyes, and covered her mouth as she yawned. She glanced out of the window and saw that it was still light. "I hope we don't have to walk," she muttered, grabbing her backpack, she quickly checked inside to see that Cheetah had curled up on top of her clothes and fallen asleep.

"We'll summon the horses," Jayden promised, putting his hand on the bottom of her spine and allowing her to leave the plane first. Antonio and Mia, who were waiting for them in the airport, smiled as Ava finally emerged.

"Good afternoon, sunshine," Antonio chirped,

"You are way to chipper," Ava scolded. "And I hate you!"

"What happened?" Mia asked.

"I woke her up," Jayden answered. "C'mon, let's get out of here and then see where we need to go."

The others nodded and followed him outside.

"So, where do we have to go?" Antonio asked.

"I don't know," Jayden answered with a shrug. He was fourteen when he last time he had visited the Tengen Gate, and only then it was to pick Ava up. She had, after all, spent five years out here with the Guardians; Ji had thought she would learn more about the history of the Samurai rangers from them, than from reading about them in the ancient scrolls back home.

Needless to say those five years had been some of the toughest at the Shiba house.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Mia asked. "Didn't Mentor pack a map?"

"The Tengen Gate is about a twelve and a half hours walk from our current position," Ava answered.

"12 and half hours?" Antonio repeated. "We wouldn't get there until this time tomorrow!"

Ava nodded. "But that's on foot," she pointed out. "On horseback it would take us about 3 quarters of an hour!"

"Then I vote horseback," Mia said, promptly.

"Me too," Antonio agreed.

"Me three," Ava smiled tiredly.

Jayden sighed. "Fine. We'll pair up, Antonio, you and Mia," he said, tracing the symbol in the air. A stunning brown horse appeared in front of the four rangers, and allowed Antonio and Mia to clamber up onto its back; while Jayden traced another symbol and conjured up Snowdrop, a horse that Ava had named many years ago, after she had finally mastered how to conjure a snow white horse.

"Why am I always with you?" Ava asked, allowing him to help her onto the back of Snowdrop.

"Because I don't trust you with anyone else," Jayden answered, pulling himself up in front of her.

Mia leaned over Antonio's shoulder, and whispered, "More like he doesn't trust anyone else with her," in his ear.

The Gold ranger nodded in agreement.

"I heard that," Jayden said, as he steered the horse past them.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Meanwhile, in Paranoma city, Emily had noticed the disappearance of the Ginger feline that usually pranced around the house.

"Has anyone seen Cheetah?" she asked stepping into the dojo where Mike and Kevin were training.

"No," Mike said, shaking his head. "Have you checked Ava's room?"

Emily nodded.

"Your room?"

"Yes,"

"Under the beds?"

"Yes..."

"The closets?"

"Yes!"

"The -"

"Mike!" Kevin snapped. "By the looks of it, Emily has checked everywhere!"

"She couldn't have just disappeared!" Mike argued. "Unless - oh boy, you don't think?"

Kevin and Emily exchanged looks.

"She wouldn't," Kevin said, shaking his head, "Mentor was specific when he said that she couldn't take her! Ava wouldn't go against her father's orders."

"It's not like she hasn't before," Emily pointed out. "Remember when she left the house with you, Mike?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, and she wasn't supposed to leave the house either, I just convinced her that she'd be OK."

"We should double check," Kevin suggested. "Just to be sure; Mike, you've got the kitchen; Em, you check the bedrooms, thoroughly; I'll check outside! Meet back here in half an hour, if we haven't found Cheetah by then, we'll tell Mentor, and call Jayden."

Emily nodded and hurried back in the direction of the bedrooms.

"Do you think Jayden already knows?" Mike asked.

"I think it's a possibility," Kevin nodded. "But let's check, just in case."

Mike nodded. "OK," he said, disappearing across the hall and into the kitchen.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Soon the horses stopped in the middle of a forest clearing. Just beyond the clearing the four rangers noticed a large wooden gate with the Shiba family crest on it, it stood just in front of a familiar temple. A smile broke out on Ava's face as she dismounted and hurried forward.

"C'mon," she said waving to the others to hurry up.

"This is the Tengen Gate?" Antonio asked. "It's just a big wood thing..."

"The Tengen Gate is an important part of Ranger history, Antonio," Ava reminded him. She bowed before passing under the gate and into the courtyard. She stopped in front of a stone monument, giving the others enough time to catch up with her.

"This commemorates where the first Samurai Rangers battled the Nighlok army," Jayden said, as he stopped behind Ava, reading from over her shoulder.

"They say the Sanzu River flooded the entire city," Ava said as she turned to her friends.

"What happened?" Antonio asked, being a self-made Samurai meant that he didn't know every single detail about the Samurai history, but he was eager to learn as much as he could.

"The Rangers defeated them," Jayden answered him. "They never gave up, and they took their training seriously."

"We should have convinced Daddy to let the other's come," Ava smiled. "Mike and Kevin could learn a lot from being here."

"How so?" Mia asked.

"Because, according to legend, the Green ranger was a bit of a prankster," said a new voice. The four rangers turned to see an elderly man approaching them. He smiled as he spotted Ava, bowed his head once, and opened his arms in greeting. "Ah, my dear sweet, Avalon!" he smiled.

Ava smiled, bowed in respect, and then run into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Daisuke," she whispered. "I've missed you!"

Jayden, Antonio and Mia exchanged smiles.

"But yes, the Green ranger drove the Blue ranger crazy."

"It would seem some things haven't changed between generations," Mia smiled.

Antonio and Jayden chuckled in agreement.

"But they were still the best of friends," the elderly man smiled. He placed a hand on his chest. "I am Daisuke, the elder guardian."

Once again the Rangers bowed in respect, as Daisuke gestured to the entrance of his home.

"Your mentor advised us that you would be coming," he said. "Please, make yourselves at home. Hansuke, my eldest grandson, will show you to your rooms. You must be tired after such a long flight."

"Well, I was," Ava nodded as Cheetah stuck her head out of the gaping hole in her human's backpack. "But now Jayden's woken me up, I feel wide awake! Cheetah says hi, by the way," she added as the feline pawed at her ponytail.

Daisuke spotted the feline and smiled.

While Ava, Mia and Antonio followed Hansuke into the house, Jayden remained outside and turned back to the monument.

"A penny for your thoughts, Jayden," Daisuke said when he saw that the Red Ranger was lost in deep thought.

Jayden turned back to the elder guardian. "It's nothing," he said.

"I take it you haven't told them your secret, have you?"

"They are my friends, Daisuke; I don't like lying to them, but..."

Daisuke places a hand on Jayden's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jayden, but it is your responsibility to be the Red ranger."

"I know," Jayden nodded.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Did you ever study this when you were here?" Mia asked. She and Ava were standing in front of a mural.

Ava nodded. "Yes. It's an old folk tale," she explained. "Daisuke used to tell it to me every night. It was one of my favourite stories here... the Samurai story is my all-time favourite, but this comes it at a close second."

Mia smiled. "Can you remember it?" she asked.

"A young woman made a deal with the Nighlok King to save the life of her beloved," she explained, tracing the form of the woman gently with her fingers. "But the King tricked her and turned them both into Nighlok."

"That sure sounds like something a Nighlok would do," Antonio said as he joined them.

"Yeah," Ava agreed. "The King took away the man's memory, cursing him to wander the earth alone forever."

"It's strange," Mia frowned. "It's like I've met this woman before!"

"You have," Ava said. "It's Dayu!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Before my Mum died," said Ava, "she used to tell me the story of a female Nighlok who seemed to have a vendetta against her; Mum didn't understand why she had been personally targeted, but, being the smart woman that she was, dug deeper into the Samurai history and found this story. She never told me this story, but she did formulate the information she had found into a story."

"Why?"

"Because she knew Ava would remember it," Jayden said as he and Daisuke finally joined them.

Ava smiled sheepishly. "I tend to remember stories more than actual facts," she agreed. "My mum knew that in story format I would remember everything she told me about Dayu."

"Did she ever find out about the man?" Mia asked.

"If she did," Ava shrugged, "she never told me."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

It was morning at the Shiba house.

"What do you think Mentor meant when he said he'd be back?" Emily asked. "You don't think he's gone after Ava, do you?"

"To Japan?" Mike asked. "No way. I mean, he'd take us with him if he did, right?"

"I don't know," Kevin answered. "He did say he chose us to stay behind to protect the city. Taking us to Japan, a day after the others have flown out there, would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?"

Emily nodded. "But that doesn't stop _him_ from flying out there, does it?"

"Relax, Em," Mike said reaching across the table and squeezing her hand. "I'm sure Mentor has a back-up plan for something like this. I mean, he can't leave us home alone now, can he?"

"Well, he could leave me and Emily," Kevin nodded. "But you're a different story! Why couldn't he have sent you instead of Mia?"

Mike shrugged. "You'd have to ask him," he said spooning the last of his cereal into his mouth.

"I respect his decision either way," Kevin said, quickly. "It would have just been an easier decision to follow Ava had Mia been here instead; Mentor would trust that the house would be here in one piece had he intended to leave in the end."

The front door opened and Ji returned - but he wasn't alone.

"Rangers," he said stepping through into the kitchen, "this is Damien, Evelyn's older brother, and Ava's uncle. Damien, these are Rangers: Blue, Yellow and Green, also known as Kevin, Emily and Mike!" he pointed at each ranger in turn.

Damien nodded. "Yes, I remember their parents," he said. "Evelyn was adamant about them being the best team for generations; but I have speculations having watched your team battle against the Nighlok."

"You're Evelyn's _older_ brother?" Kevin frowned. "Wouldn't that have made _you_ the White ranger?"

"Yes, it would have," Damien nodded. "But the ranger destiny was always kept within the female line of my family; the males had another job."

"Another job?" Mike asked, curiously.

"Now is not the time," Damien said. "But you'll find out the truth one day!"

Mike, Emily and Kevin exchanged looks.

"OK," Emily nodded, but she couldn't help but wonder what all this had to do with Ava. She understood that Damien was Ava's uncle, but how did that help with tracking her across to Japan from here?

"Damien has agreed to follow Ava and the others to Japan," Ji explained, seeing the confused looks on the rangers' faces. "I'm not doing this simply because Ava has smuggled Cheetah out of the house, I should have done this from the beginning, while I have every faith in the others, if they are to run into trouble, which you seven are famous for, they will need all the help they can get."

Suddenly the gap sensor blared.

"Speaking of trouble," Mike muttered dropping his spoon into his empty bowl and following Kevin and Emily for the door. He grunted, however, as he slammed into the back of Kevin, after the Blue ranger had stopped dead in his tracks as not to bowl over the person on the otherside of the door.

It was Luke.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Ow!"

"Rough night?"

"Cheetah nicked my pillow!"

Jayden chuckled as Ava knelt beside him. He had awoken early, which was no big surprise, and decided to wander around the garden for a bit; he had been hoping to get a better sense of the place. He had no idea how long they would be staying, hopefully it wasn't _too_ long because they still had responsibilities in Paranoma city, despite the city being in safe hands.

"Can you help me?" Ava asked, pointing to her neck. "It really hurts."

Jayden smirked, nodded, and put his hands on her shoulders, pushing his thumbs against the knot that had formed beneath her skin. "Wow, what did Cheetah do to you?" he asked, as he worked the knots out of her body.

"I'm not sharing a bed with her tonight," Ava grumbled. "Mia can have her!"

"Maybe we won't be here tonight," Jayden pointed out.

"But we only just got here!"

"We're only here for the Black Box, Ava," Jayden reminded her. "This isn't a social call or a vacation. Maybe we'll visit once Xandred's gone."

Ava sighed, but nodded. "OK," she agreed, looking up as Antonio and Mia wandered into the room. Jayden dropped his hands from her shoulder and neck at the arrival of the two others, and greeted them both as they knelt opposite him.

"Enjoy your sleep?" he asked.

"I've had better," Antonio said, stretching.

"I miss my bed," Mia moaned.

Ava smiled. "If we're here tonight," she said, rolling her shoulders, "you've got a bedmate!"

"Oh?"

"Cheetah," Ava said as the feline wandered into the room, purring as she brushed up against Ava, and then lay on the floor in front of her human. "She can pinch your pillow! My neck hurts!" she winced as her neck muscles snapped and clicked back into place. "You are a nightmare!" she added, scratching the cat behind the ears.

Soon Daisuke joined them, closing the small circle, and placing a wooden box in the centre of the circle.

"The Black Box," he told them, opening the box and revealing a small device, "the most powerful Samurai weapon ever conceived. Few even know of its existence."

"Thank you, Daisuke," Jayden said, as he pulled the device from the box to inspect it. "I shall protect it with my life."

"And he means that literally," Ava vouched.

Daisuke smiled fondly at the youngest Ranger.

One of the servants came into the room, carrying a tray of cups and a teapot. He set it down on the table behind Daisuke and poured the tea into cups for the Rangers and the elder guardian. He bowed in respect of those in the room before hurrying off.

Daisuke turned to Antonio as soon as the servant had left. "I hope you can program it," he said, "with each passing day the Nighlok presence grows stronger. I fear that soon, even this sacred place will be corrupted by their evil."

Behind them, unnoticed by the rangers, a portal opened beneath the floorboards beside the table with the tea had been placed, a hand slithered out of the gaping red crack, hovered over the five cups, before withdrawing as green wisps of smoke settled within the drinks.

"I will try my very hardest," Antonio nodded.

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "And he means that literally too!"

Daisuke smiled once again before taking the tray of tea from the table and placing it on the floor for the rangers. "Now, let us drink tea together," he said, as Jayden passed him a cup, he nodded his thanks, allowing the others to take one for themselves. "To honour the ancient Rangers, and for good fortune in battle."

The rangers raised their cups.

Ava's senses tingled causing her to frown and lower her cup.

"My dear sweet, Avalon," Daisuke said, noticing her distraction. "What is it?"

"Something's... not quite right," Ava murmured. "Something's happened... something's wrong!"

"Wrong?" Antonio asked. "Like what?"

"I don't know," Ava whined. "I just... feel... something feels off. I can't explain it, one minute everything was fine, now it feels like something has shifted!"

"You always were stronger here," Daisuke nodded, confusing Ava further. "Avalon, we always taught you to trust your instincts. What are your instincts telling you?"

Ava paused and considered her surroundings for a second time. Maybe she had just been sensing things? Was there any real need to worry her friends? And what did Daisuke mean when he had said she had always been stronger at the Tengen Gate? Stronger in what way?

"My instincts are telling me that something's not right," Ava said, straightening up and wandering from the room.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Following the all too familiar path from room to room, Ava was not surprised when she reached the pebbled courtyard of the house. Hansuke was outside, he was talking with another guardian; they stopped when Ava approached them.

"Don't stop on my account," she smiled.

"Avalon," Hansuke said, returning her smile. "How long has it been?"

"Six years,"

Hansuke nodded. "You've grown well in the last six years," he commented. "Grandfather always did say you would be a gem."

Ava giggled.

"How have you been?"

"I've had better years," Ava nodded. "I won't burden you with my stories. Hansuke, have you noticed anything suspicious in the last few minutes?"

"Few minutes?"

Ava nodded.

"No, why?"

The White ranger sighed. "Because I can sense a change," she explained. "Your grandfather said I always was stronger here..."

"He's telling the truth," Hansuke nodded. "Your powers always did seem to excel here."

"My powers?" Ava frowned. "You mean my symbol power?"

"No, Avalon," Hansuke said shaking his head. "Your guardian powers."

Ava blinked in confusion. "Guardian?" she repeated. "Me? You've confused me with someone else, Hansuke, I'm no guardian. I'm a Ranger, yes, but a guardian? No way!"

"Your father has not told you," Hansuke nodded; disturbed that he had told her valuable information. It was obvious that if her father had not told her yet then did he did not deem her ready to know. "Avalon, I am so sorry, but I must -" he cut off as he turned away, catching sight of a horde of Moogers and Nighlok in the garden beyond the one they were standing in. "I think I have found your problem, Avalon!"

Ava gasped as she too spotted the Nighlok. "We must warn the others!" she said, grabbing his arm and tugging him back towards the house.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava winced as Hansuke pulled her back through the house, his grip on her wrist was growing tighter and tighter by the passing second and she was sure that he was going to leave a bruise if he didn't let up.

"Hansuke, you're hurting me!"

"Sorry!" he apologized, loosening his grip slightly. He pulled aside a sliding door and rushed inside. Mia and Antonio were around Jayden, who was lying on the floor, clutching his chest and throat.

"What happened?" Ava asked darting towards her best friend.

"The drink... it's poisoned..." Jayden managed to say through the pain.

"Did you find out -?" Antonio started.

"There are Nighlok in the garden!" Ava said, cutting across him.

"But we can't leave Jayden," Mia protested.

"Don't worry about me," said Jayden. "Hurry..."

Ava looked up at Mia. "Go, I'll catch up!" she nodded.

Mia nodded and took off after Antonio. She knew that with only two of them they were going to be outnumbered 100 to 2, but hopefully they could deal with the Moogers and team-up against the Nighlok, just long enough for Ava to catch up with them.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"I knew Daddy should have sent us all!" Ava said as Daisuke ordered his grandson to quickly bring the antidote methods. Hansuke nodded and left the room.

"You should go... help the... others!" Jayden said through the pain.

Ava grabbed his hand. "I am not leaving until I know that you're OK!" she said, as Cheetah, who had hissed and slinked under the table the second Jayden had taken the poisoned tea, brushed against the Red ranger, her tail smoothing across his flushed face. "Now stop fussing! You're pushing the poison further through your body!"

Hansuke soon returned with the desired items his grandfather had requested. Daisuke then ordered him away, the last thing he needed was for him to be hurt.

"Seriously?" Daisuke, Ava and Jayden turned to the sound of a squeaky high-pitched voice shouting from the otherside of the room. They looked up and recognized the squid-faced Octoroo standing in the doorway. "You're going to fight my black magic potion with dried mushrooms?"

Knowing that Octoroo's presence was anything but good news, Ava jumped to her feet to defend Jayden. She knew that her friend would probably scold her for such an act later, but at the current moment he wasn't in any position to defend himself, and with Mia and Antonio gone, she was the only chance had.

Unfortunately, she didn't get far as a surge of energy from Octoroo's staff sent her crashing through the wall behind her. She narrowly missed the table in the second room, and rolled onto her stomach the second she had landed. Short of breath, and in slight pain, Ava looked around as Daisuke put himself between her, Jayden and Octoroo.

"Foolish Nighlok!" he shouted. "You're forces were defeated here once before and they shall be again!"

"Ooh, ah, ooh, you want a piece of me too?" Octoroo laughed.

"Wait!" Jayden said, his protective nature shining through again. He knew Ava had meant well when she had wanted to protect him, but ever since they had been kids, he had felt he need to protect her, he never wanted her to have to protect him. "It's me that you want, let the Guardians go!"

"Fine by me," Octoroo agreed. "I just need one thing from you. You're going to show me the symbol you Red rangers use to seal away Master Xandred."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Antonio groaned as he and Mia hit the ground. It had been a while since they had left the Tengen Gate and entered the Bamboo forest, the Moogers had been a piece of cake to deal with, not that it was any surprise, but the Nighlok, Arachnitor, was another problem all together; it also help that they were five ranger short.

"Mia, are you OK?" the Gold ranger asked as he scrambled to his feet and knelt beside the Pink ranger.

"We can't beat him!" Mia complained.

"We have too," Antonio said, determinedly. "Jayden's in trouble and I have the feeling that Ava is too! She would have joined us already if she weren't!"

Taking Antonio's hand, Mia scrambled back to her feet as the Nighlok unleashed his silk, wrapping it around them and hoisting them into the air.

"Let us go!" Mia shouted.

"If you insist," Arachnitor said, electrocuting them with a surge of energy, blasting them free.

"I don't know how much more I can take," Mia said, her breathing ragged. "Why didn't Mentor send us all?"

Antonio shook his head. He couldn't give up. His friends were in trouble. "Maybe he thought we wouldn't run into so much trouble," he suggested. "He should have thought of it though, we are famous for getting into trouble."

"We wouldn't be Rangers if we weren't," Mia said.

"You sound like Ava," Antonio chuckled.

Mia smiled, despite the situation. "She must be rubbing off on me!" she nodded.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I don't know," Mia shrugged. "In a situation like this... I think it's both!"

"Time for the big finish!" Arachnitor snarled crossing his pincers and slashing at the two rangers. They were hurled backwards through the air, demorphing as the last of their energy evaded their bodies, and they crash landed side-by-side on the hard forest floor.

Antonio felt Mia go still beside him, and knew she had passed out from the lack of energy and the beating they had just taken. He couldn't blame her, he could feel his body slowly shutting down, and knew that before long he too would sink into the oblivion that was threatening to overpower him.

_**This can't be happening...**_ he thought as, through heavy eye-lids, he watched Arachnitor walk towards them, a slight bounce in his step. His victory was at hand.

Suddenly, a deep eerie voice echoed around the forest, startling not only the Gold ranger, but Arachnitor too.

"Arachnitor!"

"No," Arachnitor gasped turning in a full circle. "It can't be!"

"Enough of your treachery!"

A portal burst to life in one of the trees just beside the Nighlok, and next second Arachnitor was pulled through the blazing red gap and out of the human world.

Antonio sighed in relief, before his tired, bruised and aching body caved to the oblivion that surrounded him. His head was fuzzy, and he hurt all over, but at least he knew that a pain free world existed just beyond the darkness.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Allowing Hansuke to pull her to her feet, Ava stumbled outside after Jayden and Octoroo. From the verandas, which run around the entire house, she could see the squid-face taunt the Red ranger in the outer garden of the temple.

"It's a simple question, Red Ranger," Octoroo was saying. "Just show me the sealing symbol, I'll give you the antidote, and it will save us both a lot of grief!"

"Never!" Jayden said, still fighting against the poison that riddled his insides. Unknown to either him or Octoroo, Dekker stood near-by watching the whole ordeal.

"Huh, that's how you want to play it?" Octoroo scoffed.

"Why won't you Nighlok take no for an answer?" Ava yelled running out into the outer garden. "GO, GO SAMURAI!" she yelled tracing her symbol in the air and running through it. "Spin sword!"

"You again!" Octoroo yelled as he raised his staff and blocked the blade. "Can't you see this is a private conversation?"

"Ava...?" Jayden breathed before losing consciousness.

"You honestly didn't think that I was going to stand back and let you take my friend, did you?" Ava asked raising her sword and blocking Octoroo's staff. "Now give me the antidote!"

"Or what?"

Ava groaned inwardly. "Don't test my patience, Nighlok!" she snapped. "My head is fuzzy, my neck hurts, and you are really starting to test my patience."

"What could you possibly do?" Octoroo laughed. "You're just the ditzy Little Samurai! You're no threat to me!"

"You'd think _you_, of all people, wouldn't judge a book by its cover," Ava said. "You should know, Octoroo that dynamite comes in small packages!"

Octoroo laughed as he blasted Ava with smoke from his staff. The White ranger coughed as she was blasted backwards across the gravel, before rolling back to her feet. "Oh, that's worse than Mike after training!" she coughed, before slimy tentacles wrapped around her body and hoisted her into the air. "Put me down!" she yelled.

But Octoroo did not comply with her request.

"Pingu!" Ava yelled.

With a squeak the mini black and white metallic penguin swooped through the air and bashed into Octoroo, causing him to drop Ava and swat the Foldingzord out of the air. It sparked as transformed back into its immobile state and hit the ground.

"No!" Ava moaned. "That's it! Playtime's over!"

"Oh, really?" Octoroo asked, tossing three balls at the two rangers. "Batter up!"

"Ice Naginata!

The staff-like weapon appeared in Ava's hands. She swung it through the air, deflecting the balls, and locking her staff with Octoroo's. While they battled, Ava failed to notice Dekker approach Jayden, despite her senses going haywire, the White ranger was too preoccupied to take in her surroundings, if only she had known that she'd pay the consequences for it later.

"Hey, Little Samurai,"

"Huh?" Ava frowned, looking up. "Dekker, what are you doing here?"

"Relax," Dekker reassured her, shifting into his Nighlok form. "I'll take care of the Red ranger from here!"

"What? No!" Ava yelled. "Stay away from my friend!" she pushed Octoroo away and rushed at Dekker, who had already hoisted Jayden over his shoulder.

"Do not try and stop me!" Dekker snarled, swinging his sword at Ava. The blade caught her into the stomach and knocked her clean off of her feet. She hit the ground, just short of the inner garden, and demorphed on impact. "Foolish girl!" he hissed, before disappearing through a crack.

Octoroo slammed his staff into the ground. "Dekker spoils everything," he pouted, "I'm out of here!"

He opened a crack between the Netherworld and the human world, and disappeared through it.

"Jayden..." Ava whispered as she lost consciousness.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N: **See you next week.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 04:28am**


	16. Chapter 16: Boxed In

**Author's Note:** I am sorry for not updating last Tuesday. But I have come to the conclusion that until I break up for the Christmas holidays, I simply cannot update every Tuesday, therefore I will only be able to update when I can; there is also the fact that considering the changes I made last chapter; this one was a doozy to write. I hope it came across as it was intended.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too: **Life-Luvr123, Smsturdy-1998m TheDeadlyJeux, OreXyon,** and** Artemis Persephone Jackson** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

**Last Time on Power Rangers Samurai**

_"The Black Box?"_

_"The most powerful Samurai weapon ever conceived."_

_"My instincts are telling me that something's not right!"_

_"The drink... it's poisoned..."_

_"Dekker, what are you doing here?"_

_"I'll take care of the Red ranger from here!"_

_"Jayden..."_

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Boy, they're pretty banged up after the run in with Arachnitor, huh?" Luke asked. He was standing in the doorway to the Tengen temple with Damien Brooks and Daisuke; inside the room, the one in which they were standing outside of, where Ava, Mia and Antonio, all of whom had been bandaged up and ordered to rest. They would need their energy for when the Nighlok returned.

Damien nodded. "Yes, now that the Sanzu River is seeping into our world the Nighlok are getting stronger," he said. "Soon they will be too powerful for even our team to stop!"

"Which is why it is crucial that Antonio fills the Black Box with every Ranger's symbol power," Daisuke said holding up the container with the talisman inside. "I just fear that he will not recover in time to do so!"

"Well, he can't fill it with every Ranger symbol power anyway," Luke pointed out. "You only have four Samurai rangers in Japan; he would have to go back to Paranoma city to fuse Kevin, Mia and Mike's powers into it."

Daisuke stopped and turned to the civilian in the room.

Luke noticed the glare and back-peddled. "Uh, no disrespect or anything," he added quickly, raising his hands in defence. He was there to help not cause trouble.

"Luke raises a good point, Daisuke," Damien nodded, coming to the rescue. "Without the full team here in Japan the Black box will be useless; we must come up with a plan to rescue Jayden and get the team home _before_ the next Nighlok attack!"

"Should we inform Mentor?" Luke asked.

"And tell him what?" Damien asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Luke shrugged, "that Japan is under attack from Nighlok, Jayden has been captured and Ava, Antonio and Mia are down?"

Damien shook his head. "There will be nothing he can do," he said.

"He can send the others!"

"Luke, the others are needed in Paranoma City," Damien said. "They cannot drop everything they are doing!"

"But they are Samurai," Luke argued. "Their job is to protect the world _not_ just Paranoma City!"

The door to the bedroom slid open and Ava stepped out. She was pulling her jacket over her shoulders as she watched her boyfriend and uncle continue to argue back and forth.

"Alright, enough!" she snapped, silencing them both. "Luke, Uncle Damien is right," she added, nodding at her boyfriend. "Kevin, Mike and Emily are needed in Paranoma City, if they weren't Daddy would have sent them here with the rest of us!"

"See?" Damien nodded. "She knows what she's -"

"But that still doesn't mean _you_," Ava interrupted turning on her Uncle, "can't contact Daddy and inform him of the trouble we are in. Luke is right too, we need help! We need guidance! But fighting with each other is going to bring us nothing but more trouble!"

Damien and Luke sighed as Daisuke smiled at the White Ranger. She had _really_ grown up since the last time he had seen her.

"So what do we do?" Luke asked.

"Stay here," Ava told him, "help Daisuke and Hansuke look after Mia and Antonio while Uncle Damien contacts my father, I am guessing you have some form of Samuraizer -" Damien nodded and held up the silver cellphone Ji had made for him years ago, "- good," Ava nodded. "Like I said call my dad, tell him what is happening, that Antonio and Mia are hurt and we _might_ need back-up!"

"What are you going to do?" Damien asked.

Ava zipped up her jacket and pulled her hair out from under her collar. Her hand, which had been injured during her fight with Octoroo had been bandaged up to the wrist and around her palm, so only her fingers and thumb was visible.

"I'm going to find Jayden!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After much arguing with Luke, who ended up with her storming out, Ava finally managed to make it to the city. Japan hadn't changed much since she had last been there even though she hadn't spent that much time actually _in_ the city she still visited it some days with Hansuke and another guardian, who was more like her babysitter than anything else.

She remembered how they had come into the city simply for her to learn the Japanese culture and how to get to the Tengen gate from the city. Hansuke was more help than the babysitter, for he actually wanted to help Ava, the babysitter just seemed put out by the idea of wasting her time following a toddler around, of course she wasn't a toddler, but the guardian wasn't happy either way.

"Right," Ava murmured hurrying across the road with a group of teenagers; they paid her very little attention, but then again no one ever paid anyone much attention. "If I was a creepy Nighlok who had just kidnapped a poisoned Samurai, where would I take him?"

Ava racked her brains as she wandered through the streets, but no matter how many times she thought it over she could not think of any place that Dekker would take Jayden. He was poisoned, how far could they actually get before the poison made it to the end of his system and killed him? She shook her head of the thought as soon as it appeared. She couldn't think like that! Jayden was going to be fine!

"He has to be."

"Talking to yourself?" asked a voice from behind.

Ava jumped and spun around, her hand skimmed her jacket pocket where her Samuraizer was hidden. She stopped, however, as her gaze fell on a young boy, he looked to be around Kevin's age, 21, maybe a little older, but was he there to hurt her was the question she should have been asking.

"They say it is the first signs of craziness,"

"I've never exactly been sane," Ava shrugged. "Who are you?"

"My father calls me Cameron," he answered. "But everyone else calls me Cam!"

Ava nodded.

"Who are you?"

"Avalon,"

"Let me guess," Cam smiled, "Everyone calls you Ava?"

She nodded again.

"So why were you talking to yourself?"

"Trying to make sense of something,"

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Ava shook her head. "No, I'm visiting a friend," she answered. "There's a group of us."

"Who's your friend?"

"You're awful inquisitive," Ava pointed out.

Cam shrugged. "It's a part of who I am," he answered. "Are you going to tell me who you're visiting?"

"No," Ava answered, she still wasn't sure of what to make of him.

"You're defensive,"

"You have to be in my world,"

"Yes, the Samurai world is one of constant danger,"

Ava froze and stared, open-mouthed, at Cam. "How did you -?"

"Know?"

Ava nodded.

"I remember all of Daisuke's students," Cam shrugged. "Of course, it has been a while since you were here last, but I remember you. You were sent here to learn of the Samurai history, the story of the Nighlok King and the two humans was your favourite while you were here, but I also remember Daisuke explaining the story of the Samurai; you would sit for hours out in the garden, just staring at the monument, it wasn't that difficult to piece together the puzzle."

Ava blinked. "Who are you?" she asked, a little scared by how much he knew about her.

Cam smiled. "My name is Cameron Watanabe," he said. "My grandfather is Daisuke. He is the Elder Guardian at the Tengen Gate, my cousin is Hansuke; he was my mother's nephew. And you are the Little Samurai that came to stay with my grandfather many years ago, aren't you?"

"You'll have to excuse me," Ava said, "but I don't remember you!"

"That's fine, I don't expect you too." Cam said, waving her off. "But now back to my earlier question -"

"You don't know a Mia Watanabe, do you?" Ava interrupted.

Cam chuckled. "Watanabe is a rather popular Japanese name," he explained, "you would find quite a few, if you were to ask around."

"So that's a no?" Ava nodded.

Cam nodded. "Yes, that is a negative!" he smiled.

"Worth a shot," Ava shrugged. "Please, continue..."

"As I was saying," Cam continued, "when I stopped you earlier, you were talking to yourself, why?"

"I'm looking for someone?"

"Another Samurai?"

Ava nodded.

"Who?"

"His name is Jayden Shiba," Ava answered. "He was taken by the Nighlok named Dekker from the Tengen Gate earlier this morning, I have to find him, it's important. He's been poisoned and I need his help to stop the Nighlok that is due to return, my other friends, Mia and Antonio, they were attacked and are badly injured, Jayden and I are the only people that can stop the Nighlok now. Can you help me?"

Cam looked thoughtful. "Poisoned, you say?" he asked.

Ava nodded.

"I think I know where they might be."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Luke placed another cool cloth onto Antonio's forehead, and glanced over to where Mia was sleeping peacefully. It had taken him a while to cool the Pink Ranger down, she had contracted some sort of rash, her arms were covered in red blotches and they looked to be inflamed and irritable, she had been instructed not to scratch or rub them.

Daisuke had said that she might have had an allergic reaction to the bamboo forest; it wasn't designed to accommodate humans seeing as most of the younger guardians, Hansuke included had contracted similar rashes after they had been through it.

With a light sigh, Mia turned, rolling over so that her back was facing Luke and Antonio, it was this small action that snapped Luke out of his thoughts and back to reality. He was still surprised that the guardians here at the Tengen Gate were allowing him to take care of Mia and Antonio; they were, of course, bound by rules and one of those rules was to not let a civilian unattended inside the temple; Luke figured that he was only getting special treatment because Ava was his girlfriend.

Speaking of Ava, where was she? Had she found Jayden? Where they alright? He didn't really care for how Shiba was but Ava had been adamant that she was the only person fit enough to find the Red ranger, and while he had argued that she wasn't well enough to go on a search party alone, he had lost the battle. Ava was stubborn and, despite himself not wanting to admit it, she did care deeply about Jayden.

But he, Luke, still wanted to be out there with her. He wanted to help her search! But he knew that while he wasn't a Power Ranger he would only be a distraction to her, and all it took was one little distraction and it could have easily brought about the end of the world, or even the end of the Power Rangers.

"Ava?"

Luke jumped as Antonio spoke and sat up. "No, it's Luke," he said putting his hands on the Gold ranger's shoulders.

"Luke? Man, what are you doing here?"

"Ji sent me. He figured Ava might listen to me, but he should have realized that she wouldn't."

Antonio laughed and sat up. That was true. "Where is Ava?" he asked noticing her absence from the bed opposite him.

Luke swallowed and looked towards the door. "Ava has gone."

"Gone?" Antonio repeated. "Gone where?"

"Dekker took Jayden," Luke answered, stopping Antonio from getting out of bed. "Ava's gone after them."

"What?"

"I've never seen her so mad," Luke pointed out.

Antonio nodded. "Jayden's in trouble," he explained, "and you tried to stop her from finding him! That is why she was mad at you. You should never come between her and Jayden, nothing can keep them apart for long, and if one of them is in danger you can guarantee that the other is not that far behind."

Luke shook his head and placed his hand on Antonio's shoulder, stopping the Gold ranger from rising from his bed. "Mate, lay down," he instructed. "You need to rest!"

"No, what I need to do is help Ava," Antonio protested. "Jayden is my best friend and Ava is my sister, I will not let them go through this alone. Ava will need technical assistant to find Jayden, and that is where I come in."

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked watching as Antonio reached for his Samurai morpher.

"First I am going to try and locate Jayden via his Samuraizer," Antonio answered, "and then I am going to hack into the Black Box. I know that Jayden will be safe once Ava finds him, but right now, my main priority is giving this team the power it needs to stop Xandred, Jayden would agree."

"Ava was wrong," Luke said. Antonio looked up at him blankly. "She wasn't the only ranger left standing..."

Antonio smirked. "Well, in a way, she was telling the truth," he nodded. "She may not be the only ranger left standing, but she is the only field operated ranger left standing. Why wonder if _she_ planned it to be that way?"

Luke shook his head. "Ava would never intentionally put any of you in danger, you know that!"

"Yeah. I do," Antonio nodded going back to his phone.

Luke watched him, confused but in total fascination. "How exactly are you planning on finding Jayden?" he asked.

"I'm piggy-backing on a global satellite system," Antonio answered as he tapped away at his morpher. "And using my light symbol power to triangulate with Jayden's Samuraizer."

The morpher beeped.

"Golden!"

"You've found him?"

"Yeah!"

"So now to contact Ava," Luke said. "But how?"

There was a creak from the otherside of the room, Mia, who had woken during Luke and Antonio's conversation had reached for her own Samuraizer on the table beside her. "Will this help?" she asked, holding up the device.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava and Cam wandered slowly across the deserted stretch of sand.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Ava asked.

"Yes," Cam nodded. "My father told me of this water when I was boy; according to legend the waters here are so pure that they can expel the poison from anyone's body, no matter how far along the process it is. The person would still be considerably weak after it, but the water's purity would heal them with rest."

Ava nodded. "You told me you were Daisuke's grandson," she said. "But you're not his eldest."

"How do you know I am not?"

"Hans is the eldest," Ava answered. "He is next in line to be the elder guardian, just like a Samurai destiny, it is passed down from parent to child, but if there is more than one the destiny is handed down to the first born, unless of course something happens and that child cannot take over."

"Grandfather said that you were a quick learner," Cam nodded. "But you learned in a certain way. Story based information."

Ava nodded. "Yes, it started when I was a child," she answered. "My mum noticed that unlike Jayden I didn't fully comprehend what was being asked of me, but she one created a story, and the more I listened the more I seemed to understand, and the more work I got done, after that my parents started putting everything into story format for me."

"Your mother still does it?"

"No," Ava said. "She died when I was small."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cam apologized. "My mother died too when I was small."

Ava smiled sadly. "I'm sorry for your loss," she apologized.

"And I yours," Cam nodded, before stopping and staring at Ava as her pocket chimed.

"Sorry," Ava apologized taking out her morpher and answering the call. "Hello?"

"_Ava,"_

"Antonio?"

"_Ava, listen to me carefully,_" the Gold ranger said. "_I have located Jayden's signal..."_

"You have? Where is he?"

"_You're not that far away from! A few hundred meters north of your current position._"

Ava looked around and spotted a cavern. Even from this distance the entrance did not look inviting, it was dark and gloomy. She swallowed, nervously. "Why does it always have to be dark and creepy?" she whined.

"_You want me to come and hold your hand?"_ Antonio teased.

"No," Ava said quickly. "I'll call you back when I find Jayden."

"_Be careful!_"

"I always am," she smiled as she hung up. "My twin's a bit eccentric!"

"I thought you were an only child?" Cam asked.

"I am," Ava nodded. "Antonio is unbiological to me."

Cam nodded, warily, before following Ava across the beach towards the cavern that Antonio had located as the place where Jayden's signal was coming from.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Dekker paused as he observed Jayden from across the flickering flames of the fire. Why hadn't anyone attempted to rescue him yet? He was sure, form careful observation, that someone; at least the White or Gold rangers would have come to save their friend by now. Maybe they thought he was a goner? He had, after all, been poisoned beforehand, where they really that naive to think that he wouldn't have a plan? Fools.

"You should be fully recovered by now," Dekker said, startling Jayden out of his thoughts. What had he been thinking about was something that the Nighlok would never know, nor possibly ever understand, Jayden had in fact been thinking about Ava and where she was right now; he remembered that just before he had passed out she had come to save him from Octoroo, had he done something to her? Was she OK? He hoped she was.

"Why do you want to fight me?" Jayden asked. "There are plenty of good warriors in the world."

"Yes, but like me, you have a secret festering inside you," Dekker answered. "We're both warped, twisted..."

"What do you mean?" Jayden asked.

"You would have sacrificed everything before giving Octoroo the Sealing Power," Dekker answered. "Well," he added with a smirk, "maybe not _everything_," Jayden knew what he was edging towards, there was really only one person that he wouldn't sacrifice to protect the sealing spell, even if she didn't think she was worth it in the first place. "You have a spirit inside of you that I have never found in other Samurai. A warrior spirit."

Jayden frowned. None of this made sense.

"And that is why you are the perfect opponent," Dekker said holding up his sword and transforming into his Nighlok state.

As his spin sword appeared in his hands, Jayden blocked the sword and pushed Dekker away from him.

"C'mon!" Dekker bated. "Go ahead the first move is yours!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Reaching the mouth of the cavern, Ava held up her Samuraizer. "Stay here, Cam," she told her new friend, before morphing and rushing towards Jayden, separating him from Dekker and vice versa. "No, this is not going to happen!" she said turning to face Dekker.

"Stand aside, Little Samurai!" Dekker sneered at her. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"You took my best friend!" Ava argued. "It has everything to do with me!"

"It looks to me that he is a little more than a _friend_!"

"Like you would know anything about that!" Ava snapped. "You're just a Nighlok! What do you know about human emotion?"

"I was human once."

"You can't remember your human life," Ava pointed out. "You have no idea what was taken away from you the night you became a Nighlok, I do, and I know what you had! I won't let you take that away from me!"

Dekker raised his sword and pointed it at Ava. Instinctively, Jayden pulled her to him as she raised her own sword. "Last chance," Dekker warned her. "Stand aside!"

"Or what?"

"I will cut you both down!"

"No," Jayden said, trying to move Ava out of the way. She wouldn't budge. "Ava, move! If he wants to fight then I'll give him a fight!"

Ava shook her head. "Jayden, you are in no shape to fight," she told him. "Why do you want to battle him when he is like this anyway?" she asked Dekker. "There wouldn't be much of a challenge. One strike and it would be over, that is not much of a duel, and there'd be no satisfaction in winning against an opponent that has no energy to fight back!"

Dekker lowered his head and then his sword.

"Fine," he scoffed. "Go!"

Ava paused. That was easy.

"That's it?" she asked, confused. "You're just going to let us go?"

"Get out of here before I change my mind!" Dekker growled, raising his sword threateningly.

With a squeak, Ava spun around to face Jayden. "Well, if the creepy Nighlok says we can go then I suggest you heed his warning and leave... like now!" she added, tugging at his hand.

"But know this Red ranger," Dekker added, "the next time we meet, we will battle. I now have an initiative to convince you.

Jayden glared at Dekker, and then looked down at Ava. Despite the attitude she had while arguing with Dekker, he could see fear in her eyes, and he also knew that she wanted to get out of there almost as much as she wanted to get _him_ out of there.

Jayden nodded once, and with his arm still around Ava's waist, he drew his Samuraizer and traced a symbol in mid-air. He slashed through it and with a flash of flames both Jayden and Ava disappeared.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The Black Box glowed gold as Antonio stood a few feet away. He has his Samurai morpher in hand and was tapping away furiously at the keypad as little floating gems of gold energy flooded out of his LED screen and into the talisman.

Luke, Daisuke and Damien watched him patiently from the sidelines, as Hansuke applied more cream to Mia's rash.

"There," Antonio announced after a few minutes silence. The golden gems disappeared and the talisman returned to normal. "I've hacked in. Now all I have to do is format to absorb our Symbol power..." he swayed and collapsed onto a near-by stool.

"Antonio!" Mia squealed, fearfully.

"He's alright," Damien assured her as knelt beside the Gold ranger. "Antonio, you must pace yourself. Using Symbol power is incredibly draining, don't overdo it!"

Antonio rolled his eyes. "And who told me that the whole world was at stake?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Yes, the whole world is counting on you," Damien nodded. "But that does not mean that you need to kill yourself in order to protect them."

Antonio sighed and pushed himself back to his feet. "I have to do everything I can," he said turning back to the Black Box. "Let's try again!"

"Just be careful, Antonio," said Damien. "What you are trying to do is dangerous work!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

No more than an hour later Antonio fell to his knees once again.

"There," he said, his breathing labored. "The formatting is done."

"That is all you can do for now," Damien said. "The real dangerous part will have to wait until we get home."

"The real dangerous part?" Mia asked.

"Infusing the Black Box with everyone's symbol powers," Damien answered.

"But he can't do that now?" Luke asked.

Damien shook his head. "He needs the other rangers Power disks. The only person's he has access to is Mia's; Jayden and Ava are still out in Japan somewhere, and the other rangers are back home in Paranoma City. There isn't much more we can do now."

"Well can't ge just do Mia's for the time being?" Luke asked.

"He could," Damien nodded. "But he needs to rest now. He has used to much Symbol power to venture further."

"I'll do it," Antonio said.

"Antonio, it could kill you," Damien protested.

"Look, my best friends are out there somewhere," Antonio protested. "If I can't help them on the battlefield, the least I can do is make sure that they have something that will help them in the upcoming battles against the Nighlok!"

Damien sighed. "Ava and Jayden wouldn't want you too -" he started.

"The only reason I was sent to Japan was to programme the Black Box," Antonio interrupted. "That was my assigned job for being here, I am not about to screw that up. Mia, give me your Power Disk. I'll infuse your powers into now and proceed with Ava's and Jayden's when they return."

"If they return..." Luke muttered glancing out of the window. He had been doing so every hour since Antonio had started working on the Black Box hoping that he would see Ava returning through the gate at the far end of the garden. He didn't care if Jayden was with her anymore; he just wanted her back safe.

Antonio shot the delivery boy a fierce glare. "They'll come back!" he said, determinedly. "They'll come back together!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Cam stumbled as the ground beneath his feet shook violently.

"Whoa!" he said looking around at Ava and Jayden, both of whom had braced themselves against the impact and the surrounding explosion. Screams echoed from all directions and people started running away from their current position. "What was -?"

"There!" Ava shouted pointing over his shoulder at a cloud of flames in the sky. It had come from downtown.

"Nighlok attack!" Jayden said starting towards the explosion.

Ava caught his arm. "You're not strong enough!" she protested. "We need to get you back to the Tengen Gate, you need to rest."

"You are not going alone, Ava," Jayden said. "I won't let you!"

"You don't have a choice!"

"We always have a choice," Jayden reminded her. "And I'm choosing to stay."

"But Jayden -"

"We'll make it quick," Jayden promised her.

"Then we'll need an attack that doesn't use a lot of symbol power," Ava said, shaking her head. "Neither of us is in great condition to fight."

Cam frowned as he looked between them.

"Do you think you have enough energy for a blazing strike?" Ava asked after a moment's pause.

Jayden looked thoughtful. He wasn't completely sure of how much energy he had left, but he liked the idea of using single attacks where it didn't take much energy, as opposed to high energized attacks and completely wasting the little energy they had left.

"There's only one way to find out," Jayden said, taking her hand and pulling her in the direction of the constant explosions.

"Cam," Ava called over her shoulder. "Go back to the Tengen Gate. Tell Daisuke there's a Nighlok attack, he'll know what to do!"

Cam nodded and disappeared in the opposite direction.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Arachnitor snarled as he crossed his pincers and aimed a double slash at a near-by building. It exploded on impact.

"Fighting buildings?" Ava shouted earning the attention of the Nighlok and the Moogers. "How very tough of you! Why don't you fight someone who can fight back?"

"You're starting to sound like Mike," Jayden pointed out.

Ava smiled. "He'd be so proud!" she answered.

Jayden rolled his eyes, shook his head and raised his sword, deflecting an attack from a Mooger. The whole group had swarmed forward at the appearance of the two Rangers, but not before Arachnitor inflicted several high powered lightning strikes against them.

Ava groaned as she felt more of her energy leave her body. "We can't take any more hits like that!" she told Jayden. "He'll have us out before we can get a hit in!"

"Stay strong, Av," Jayden encouraged. "We can do this!"

"We have too," Ava nodded. "We're the only rangers left!"

"Only rangers left?"

"Did you forget about us?"

Ava gasped and looked up as Antonio and Mia run towards her and Jayden. "What are you doing here?" she asked as they grew closer.

"We got your message," Mia answered placing her hand on Ava's shoulder as she stopped beside her little sister. "You didn't think we'd let you do this alone, did you?"

"You should be resting!"

"And so should you," Antonio pointed out. "You're not the only one who can be stubborn, Ava. Oh, Luke sends his love by the way."

Jayden paused. "Luke? What is he doing here?" he demanded.

"He came over with Uncle Damien," Ava answered.

"Why?"

"Because Daddy thought that I would listen to Luke," Ava answered. "He should have realized that I wouldn't. But that is beside the point, can we deal with these things? Because I am ready to go home!"

Jayden, who was put out by the revelation of Luke Anderson being in Japan, sighed and nodded, "Right, let's do this!" he said. "Spin sword! Fire Smasher!" he spun the power disk and transformed his sword into his secondary weapon, before adding his fire disk to it and taking out a horde of Moogers that got in his way.

"Spin sword! Ice Naginata!" Ava removed her Snow disk from her belt and secured it to the staff-like weapon, twisted it between her hands and slashed at the Moogers that ran to meet her. The second the blade touched their scaly skin, the foot soldiers froze, allowing Ava to slash through them with her Naginata and smash them into snowflakes.

"Sky Fan!" Mia commanded removing her Air disk from her belt and securing it to the fan. She slashed it through the air, cutting down several Moogers that stood in her way. "Time to blow you away!" she yelled, waving the fan around and blasting the rest of the Moogers with a blast of air.

"Barracuda Blade!" Antonio said as he disappeared in a blur of golden light. The Moogers sparked and doubled over as Antonio cut them down to size, and when he appeared on the other side of them, he replaced his blade inside its cover and the Moogers exploded.

Suddenly the ground exploded beneath their feet and the four rangers were thrown backwards. Arachnitor had returned.

"Wait does this creep look familiar?" Mia asked recognizing the Nighlok.

"No," Ava said shaking her head.

"It's like he has mutated or something," Antonio nodded.

Ava paused. "_This_ is the Nighlok you were fighting?" she asked.

"Arachnitor," Antonio nodded. "Or mutated Arachnitor, your choice!"

"Spider!" Jayden said his voice not so strong anymore.

Ava, knowing full well that Jayden's biggest fear was spiders, squeezed his hand. "You have nothing to fear but fear itself," she reminded him. "Just squash him, Jay!"

Jayden nodded and stepped forward. "Ready?" he asked.

The others nodded.

"Go for it, Jay!" Antonio encouraged.

"Do it, Jayden!" Mia agreed.

Ava clutched her spin sword tightly just in case the Blazing strike didn't work and they needed an extra attack. She knew that they couldn't pull off the Quintuple slash or any other attack without Kevin, Mike or Emily, but they could each attack with their individual powers and hopefully weaken Arachnitor enough, giving them time to formulate a plan to finish him off.

"Blazing Strike!" Jayden yelled slashing down onto Arachnitor with his Fire smasher.

There was an explosion and Arachnitor was blasted backwards away from the rangers. He fumbled in his footing but managed to regain balance, straightening up and snarling at the Rangers who stepped back in surprise and disbelief that the attack hadn't worked.

"It didn't work!" Ava gasped as she rejoined Jayden with the others.

"We're all too exhausted to put up too much of a fight," Mia pointed out.

"What if we combine all our strength?" Antonio suggested.

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "But we don't have a lot of it! We need something that doesn't require a lot of symbol power!"

"Hey, I have an idea," said Antonio. "You three use your individual powers and I'll speed things up with my own!"

"But we'll hit you," Mia said as Antonio rushed forward.

"Oh no you won't," Antonio said, shaking his head.

Ava hesitated and looked to Mia and Jayden.

"Trust me," said Antonio noting their hesitation. "I've got a golden move that will keep me safe and power up our attack!"

"Alright," Mia nodded.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Jayden added.

Ava, still unsure of whether or not this would work tightened her grip on her spin sword.

"Spin sword! Blazing strike!"

"Spin Sword! Air way!"

"Spin Sword! Snow storm!"

"Now let's put a spin on things!" Antonio said. He jumped into the air, spun around and combined his light energy with the powers from the three spin swords; he aimed them at Arachnitor who was once again blasted backwards with the force of the quadruple strike. He snarled as he hit a pillar, disappearing through the red crack that appeared.

Antonio landed and was rejoined by the others.

"He got away!" the Gold ranger complained.

"Good," Ava said, as the last of her energy disappeared and she powered down. "I'm out of energy!"

Mia followed suit. "Me too," she nodded. "And my arms are itching!"

"Stop scratching!" Ava scolded slapping Mia's hand away from her rash. "Daisuke says you'll make it worse!"

"But it's itchy!" Mia whined.

"That means its healing!"

Mia pouted, but Ava shook her head.

"Fine," the Pink ranger caved as she turned away. "I'll suffer!"

"Aw, hopefully it'll clear up by the time we get home," said Ava. "Until it does stay away from me!"

Mia faked a pass at Ava, who shrieked and ducked behind Jayden for coverage. "Bully!" she pouted, peeking around the Red ranger and glaring at the giggling Pink, who shrugged and started leading the way back to the Tengen Gate.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava sighed as she lay wide awake in bed that night. It was the last night of her stay at the Tengen Gate and although she had only been there two days it felt like a lifetime had gone by since she had seen anyone other than Mia, Antonio and Jayden, believe it or not she was ready to go home.

But something was bothering her. It wasn't the fact that she couldn't sleep, although that would probably bother when it came time to leave in the morning, and her non-sleeping state also had nothing to do with the fact that Luke was snoring in her ear.

Glancing at her boyfriend, Ava shook her head and sat up, pushed back the blankets that covered her and slipped out of bed. Cheetah, who had been sleeping at her feet, raised her ginger head and made a small noise as her human walked away.

"Shh," Ava smiled, pressing a finger to her lips and scooping up the feline. "I'm going for a walk. You can come, but you have to keep quiet, alright?"

Cheetah snuggled her head into Ava's cheek, and the White ranger took this as a yes. With a smile, Ava carried the feline out of the bedroom, down the hall and into the room where Daisuke had presented her, Jayden and the others with the Black Box earlier that morning.

Crossing the room, Ava wandered out of the back door and into the garden. Although she stopped short as she saw Jayden sitting alone on a marble stool, his back was to her and he looked lost in thought.

Ava frowned. What's he doing out here? She thought tiptoeing closing to her best friend. He was fully dressed and there was a bag of what she could only assume were clothes resting at the base of the stool. "Not thinking of running off again, are you?" she asked, startling him slightly.

"Ava, what are you doing out here?" Jayden asked as he turned around. The startled look on his face disappeared as soon as he saw her.

"I couldn't sleep," Ava admitted. "So Cheetah and I decided to take a walk. What's your excuse?"

"Would you believe me if I said I could sleep?"

Ava shrugged. "Considering what you've been through," she nodded. "Yeah, I would. But you should sleep, whether the poison is gone or not, you'll still need your energy for tomorrow."

"I could say the same for you," Jayden responded.

"Yeah, but if I am still sleepy in the morning you'll just have to carry me!"

"And what if I don't want to carry you?" Jayden challenged.

"Then I have other alternatives,"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, their names are: Luke, Uncle Damien and Antonio," Ava grinned. "If you won't carry me, one them will!"

Jayden chuckled. "You have it all planned out, don't you?" he asked.

"Mommy always said to plan ahead," Ava nodded.

Jayden smiled. That was true.

"So why can't you sleep?" Ava asked.

"It's nothing," Jayden answered with a shake of his head.

Ava frowned. "If you're afraid of telling me because you'll think I'll worry," she said. "Just know that I will worry about you even if you don't tell me."

"So you're saying it's a lost cause?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Ava nodded, sitting on the marble stool and crossing her legs. She placed Cheetah down and watched as the feline curled up into a ball, tucking herself carefully between her mistress legs.

Jayden sighed and sat beside her. "I'm just thinking about what Dekker said," he told her.

"What did he say?"

"That I was warped and twisted like him," Jayden answered.

"But you are nothing like him!"

"Maybe I am," Jayden shrugged. "I mean, I do have a secret."

"That doesn't make you twisted, Jayden," Ava whispered.

Jayden nodded, but Ava could see and tell that he didn't believe her. Leaning forward, Ava crawled towards him, sat in his lap and hugged him. Cheetah hissed at him, jealous at his close contact with her human, but Jayden ignored the cat, overcame his surprise and wrapped his arms around Ava's waist, hugging her closer to him.

"If you're twisted because you have a secret," Ava said resting her head on his shoulder. "Then I'm twisted too because I share the same secret!"

"You're not twisted, Av," Jayden scolded her.

"Well neither are you!" Ava said as her eyes started to feel heavy.

Unknown to both rangers, Luke, who had awoken and found Ava missing had come looking for her, and was now watching them, slightly enraged by the sight he was witnessing from the back door of the Tengen Temple.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N: **Two weeks left and then I break up for the Christmas Holidays. Try and bare with my erratic updates until then and we'll be golden (Sorry Antonio!) Oh, and yes, that was Cam Watanabe that you read about helping Ava find Jayden.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Sunday, December 02, 2012 at 08:15pm**


	17. Chapter 17: Team Spirit

**Author's Note:** Initially I planned for this chapter to come after **The Ultimate Duel** but I needed the claw zord for that chapter and therefore couldn't put this off any longer. So here is **Team Spirit**, I wonder what changes I have made this time? Thank you, **Jessfairy88** for helping me bring Luke into this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too: **ThatOnePerson1234** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

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**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Ava giggled as Jayden grabbed her around the waist and pulled her backwards into his room, closing the door behind them. He then placed his hand over her mouth to mask her giggles as Emily passed outside.

"Shh," he whispered as he listened to Emily's footsteps disappear down the hall. "You're going to give us away!"

"You grabbed me!" Ava said poking him playfully in the ribs.

"She nearly saw you!"

"Where's the trouble in that?" Ava asked opening the door and peeking outside. She withdrew slightly as she saw Emily appear down near the front doors, but the Yellow ranger didn't look her way, instead she opened the door and disappeared outside. "C'mon! She just went outside!"

Jayden allowed her to pull him from the bedroom and back into the main part of the house. "The trouble with her seeing you is that you'll give away the surprise!" he said as they travelled to the concealed room where Mia, Kevin and Mike were setting up the streamers, banners and gifts for Emily's party.

"I would not!" Ava gasped. "I'm good at keeping secrets!"

"I never said you weren't," Jayden said raising his hand and knocking the sliding door. Ava giggled as she heard shuffling coming from the otherside, and quickly pulled open the door to reveal two terrified rangers and a smirking one.

Mia and Kevin sighed in relief as Jayden and Ava stepped through, the former sliding the door closed behind him.

"You should have seen your faces," Mike said pointing at the Pink and Blue rangers.

"Yeah, it was like Master Xandred was at the door," Ava nodded pinching a cupcake from the table beside her.

"Haha," Kevin said, mockingly. "We just didn't want Emily to find us!"

"The coast is clear Emily went outside," Jayden reassured them. "What about the cake?"

"I've got all the ingredients for an awesome cake," Mia answered. "I just need to bake it without her noticing."

"No!" the others exclaimed all at once.

Mia frowned and glanced between them.

"Uh, we don't want to risk it," Kevin said, quickly. "Mentor's already ordered the cake from the bakery. Luke's bringing it over later before he starts work."

"Oh, OK!" Mia nodded.

"I thought Antonio's picking it up?" Jayden frowned glancing at Ava.

Ava nodded. "He was supposed to be," she answered. "But Luke's picking up Emily's birthday gift from me and he offered to get the cake on his way. I told him that he didn't have too, but he said that it would only take him two minutes and we could focus primarily on getting everything ready for later."

"Is Luke coming tonight?" Mike asked.

"No," Ava said shaking her head. "He's working!"

Kevin, Mike and Mia nodded, but Jayden looked relieved.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

With so many mouths to feed, the Nighlok, Splitface roamed around the streets looking for his next meal. The citizens of Paranoma City screamed at the sight of him, a monster was never a good thing to see in the city and the people knew that they were in danger just by there being one in the vicinity.

The Nighlok, however was glad for the screams. Tears of pain, sorrow and fear was all he needed to make the Sanzu River rise, plus he got to eat as many souls as he wanted to, and the more terrified the human shell was, the more tastier the soul would be.

He laughed as he attacked many people who happened to fall into his path. He was just about to attack a small with brown pigtails when he was hit in the back by a blast that knocked him off of his feet. He rolled across the ground and the little girl run off.

"Snack time is over for you, Nighlok," Jayden said.

As the Nighlok got back to his feet Mike and Antonio rushed him, drawing their weapons.

"Body swarm!" he called, laughing loudly as his body disassembled into small ball-like creatures and swarmed around the green and gold rangers like a swarm of bees.

"Whoa," Mike said flailing his arms about uselessly. "It's like dodge ball with teeth!"

Once the swarm was done with Antonio and Mike they flew over to the other rangers taking out Jayden, Mia and Kevin first and then rounding on Ava and Emily. The White and Yellow rangers swung their swords at the creatures, but the Nighlok reassembled itself and knocked Ava out of the way.

"Mhmm, you'll make a fine desert!" the Nighlok said holding is hand out towards Emily.

"Emily," Ava yelled jumping up and running towards her best friend. She collided with the Yellow ranger and knocked her sideways as she demorphed and a soft, white light emerged from her body and was sucked into the gaping black hole of the Nighlok's mouth. With a weak cry, Ava fell backwards onto the ground.

Emily rolled up onto her knees and gasped as she saw Ava on the ground, with the Nighlok standing over her. "Ava!" she cried.

"No!" the other Rangers called.

"What did you do to her?" Jayden growled. Enraged, he jumped to his feet and attacked the Nighlok, but he body swarmed again and countered the attack on the Red ranger, whilst Emily and Mia fell to their knees beside the White ranger.

"Ava," Emily called as Mia gathered the White ranger in her arms. "Ava, are you OK?"

"Ava, wake up," Mia cried softly.

Ava uttered a weak moan but she didn't wake up.

Falling to his knees, Jayden glared up at the Nighlok who reassembled himself a few feet away from him and the others. He was grinning madly and patting the hand where the mouth that had eaten Ava's spirit was.

"She wasn't the one I wanted," he said, "but not even I can deny that her spirit was delicious! And in twenty-four hours it will be mine forever!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Forever?"

"Of course," the Nighlok continued, "if you defeat me, you can have all their spirits back. But you won't have the chance, because I'm heading back to the Netherworld where no mortal can follow."

Antonio's fists clenched in rage.

"Guy's, we've got to stop this creep," Mia said as she continued to cradle Ava.

The Nighlok giggled. "All of you try and enjoy your one last day with your friend," he said. "Because I'm leaving and I won't be coming back!"

Jayden glanced over his shoulder at Ava, and then back at the Nighlok. His best friend's life was in danger, and if he didn't do something, and do it within the next twenty-four hours, he was going to lose her forever.

"No," he said straightening up. "We won't let that happen!"

Kevin, Mike and Antonio nodded and followed Jayden's lead.

"No way!" Antonio agreed.

"Yes way," the Nighlok cackled. "See ya!"

He turned and started to walk away.

"Hey, get back here!" Mike shouted chasing after him.

"You're not going anywhere!" Antonio said following Mike. He swung his blade at the ball swarms, feeling it strike one of them, but the monster didn't seem affected as he continued to attack. The Nighlok knocked him and Mike aside before striking Kevin and Jayden; he then reassembled near a cracked building support beam, leaving the girls unharmed, with a final wave he stepped through the gap and disappeared.

"No!" Antonio shouted.

"He's gone!" Jayden sighed.

"What do we do now?" Kevin asked completely lost for an answer.

Antonio shook his head and turned back to Mia, Emily and the still unconscious Ava. He powered down and returned to the girls, taking the White ranger from Mia and hugging her. His little sister was in trouble, she had paid the price for protecting her best friend, and now if he and the others didn't work fast and came up with a good enough plan, they were going to lose her.

Getting up, Mia rounded Antonio and Ava and wrapped her arm around Emily's shoulder. The Yellow ranger was sobbing quietly into her hands, and silently blaming herself for Ava's predicament. It had been her spirit that the Nighlok had wanted, but he had taken Ava's because she had intervened.

"This is my entire fault," Emily said.

"This isn't your fault, Emily," Mia said. "It's no one's fault."

Emily sighed, she knew that it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't help but think that it was. "What are we going to do?" she asked. "The sun is already setting. By this time tomorrow Ava may never wake up!"

Jayden swallowed and looked back at the crack that the Nighlok had disappeared through. They couldn't let that happen. _He_ couldn't let it happen.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Finally after getting Ava home from the battle, the rangers crowded around her bed as they watched her sleep. Ji, who had witnessed the entire battle from the Shiba house had already prepared Ava's bed for when they had returned and was now researching ways to save his daughter and the other people who had been affected.

"Fifty-four people," Ji said, "including Ava had their spirits stolen. Official hospital reports say that the patients are resting comfortably but we know differently."

"I can't believe that by tomorrow night Ava, and all those people could stay asleep forever," Kevin sighed as he paced. "We have to destroy the Nighlok before that happens!"

"But he said he won't leave the Netherworld," Mia said turning back to her little sister. "What can we do?"

Antonio shook his head ever since they had returned he had refused to leave Ava's side. "We have to do something," he said. "No matter what it takes we have to save her!"

Ava whimpered lightly in her sleep, but not once did she wake.

Footsteps sounded from outside the door and the rangers looked around to see Emily enter, she was carrying Cheetah, and looking a little worse for wear. Ever since Ava had been attacked the Yellow ranger had done nothing but doubt and blame herself, she had eventually passed out from exhaustion which she had contracted from crying over Ava's prone and lifeless form.

"How are you feeling?" Mia asked as Emily sat beside her, and Cheetah pounced onto Ava's stomach. The cat pawed at the White ranger's face and meowed when the White ranger didn't move. Confused, Cheetah turned and glanced at Emily, she meowed again, as if asking what was wrong with her human.

Emily sighed and petted the ginger feline behind the ear, she then scooped up the cat and hugged her close as Ava continued to sleep; the White ranger had no idea what was happening with her friends, all she was aware of was that she was asleep.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After a rather restless night Mia returned to Ava's room to find Mike sitting beside her bed. The Pink ranger was carrying a bowl of cool water and a cloth, while the Green ranger just sat and watched over his little sister as she slept, silently listening to Mia as she told him that Emily hadn't slept at all the previous night.

"I don't think any of us did," Mike answered. "I think Jayden was in here until early hours of this morning. I have no doubt he would have stayed here if Mentor hadn't told him to go to bed."

Mia nodded. "I got up to get Emily a glass of water around 3:00AM," she said, "and I saw Mentor sitting where you are now. He seemed to be reading; it was only until I took a closer look did I realize he was reading to Ava."

"Ava's a sucker for stories," Mike nodded. Mia murmured in agreement and pressed the wet cloth against Ava's forehead and cheek. They didn't know what exactly she was going through behind her closed eyelids, but they knew that despite her sleeping peacefully, she was in no comfortable place beyond her closed eyelids.

As Mia pressed the cloth to her little sister's face, Ava stirred. At first neither the Pink nor Green rangers paid any attention, apparently Ava had been stirring all night, at least that is what Ji had told Mia when she had come into the kitchen for water a few minutes ago, but not once had she woken. But this time it was different, this time Ava's eyes opened and she looked around the room in a confused daze.

Mia gasped and put the cloth and water bowl down. "Ava..." she smiled.

"Av..." Mike smiled, before calling to the others. "Ava's awake!"

They all came rushing in, except for Antonio, and smiled as they saw both Mike and Mia helping Ava sit up comfortably. Emily pushed her way to the front of the group and hugged Ava as tightly as she possibly could, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Tears filled Ava's eyes as she hugged her best friend back just as tight.

"What's going on?"

The rangers spun around. Luke was standing in the doorway to Ava's room looking perplexed, he spotted Ava in her bed and rushed to her side.

"What happened?" he asked, touching her face. She wasn't running a fever, but she was incredibly cold.

"I'm sorry, guys," Ava apologized looking from her boyfriend and then around at the others. "I let him get me!"

"Don't be silly," Mike said as he squeezed her hand gently. "We're just glad you're OK."

Luke continued to look confused. Who had got her? What had happened? What had he missed... and why hadn't anyone called him to say that Ava had been hurt?

Kevin smiled and offered her a glass of water, just as Cheetah jumped up onto the bed, wove her way between Mike and Emily and pawed at Ava's face just as she had done the previous evening.

Ava smiled as she took the glass of water, and raised her hand to pet Cheetah's head. She could tell that her friend's smiles were fake, and they were only trying to be brave as not to scare her.

"Thanks for putting on brave faces for me," she said, "but I know I'm not OK. I feel empty."

"Empty?" Luke repeated.

"Don't worry," Mia said tucking a stray curl behind Ava's ear, and forcing a smile. "We'll figure it out."

"I know you'll do your best," Ava nodded. "But I won't hold it against you if you fail," she tried to smile, but found she couldn't.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on?" Luke asked, desperate for answers now.

Mentor placed a hand on his shoulder. "She was attacked by a Nighlok," he explained. "It took her spirit."

"Her spirit?" Luke asked. "Does that mean -? Is she -? I mean..." he stuttered as he turned back to his girlfriend, but she wasn't looking at him.

Jayden knelt down beside Ava's side. He too forced a smile and replaced Mike's hand with his own. "I promised to always protect you, right?" he asked.

Ava nodded. She was starting to feel tired again. "You can't win them all, Jayden," she whispered. "Maybe this is one battle we're not meant to win!"

Luke felt a stab of pain in his heart. The way Ava spoke was like she had already made up her mind on what was going to happen to her, and the way she was staring at Jayden... the fear and pain that reflected in her eye... he sighed and shook his head, she'd never looked at him like that before. Right now she looked broken... and it wasn't him who she was turning to her for help.

"Don't say that," Kevin said, shaking his head.

"We're not going to let you down," Jayden promised her. He grabbed the stuffed Lion he had got her for Christmas the previous year and waved it gently in her face before letting her take it. "We'll save you. Just hold on until then."

Ava smiled and nodded her head, before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes as another wave of tiredness washed over her.

Jayden felt her hand loosen from around his and fall back onto the bed beside her.

"No," Emily cried. "She's falling back to sleep!"

"Ava..." Jayden called, but she didn't respond to his voice.

"Ava!" Luke called. He grabbed her shoulders and tried to shake her awake.

Jayden growled and shoved the delivery boy away from his best friend. "Don't touch her!" he said, glaring fiercely at the intruder. He knew that Luke truly wasn't an intruder, he was Ava's boyfriend, but no one had called for him, no one had told him what had happened to Ava, so what right did he have of showing up unexpectedly and then grabbing her so forcibly?

"She's my girlfriend," Luke shouted. "I'll do whatever the hell I want!"

Enraged by the fighting, and the fact that Ava may never wake up again, Mike jumped to his feet and rushed from the room. Kevin chased after him, calling his name as Emily followed close behind. She knew that Mike was upset, hell _she_ was upset! She still blamed herself for Ava's spirit getting captured, even though it had been Ava's fault for getting between her and Splitface, but knowing the truth didn't ease the feelings of guilt inside.

After setting Ava's water glass down on the bedside table, Mia disappeared from the room, leaving Jayden and Ji behind.

"Go," Ji told Jayden as the Red ranger remained by Ava's bedside. He was still grasping her hand and glaring at Luke, who also refused to let go Ava's hand.

Jayden sighed and looked up at his godfather. He didn't want to leave Ava, he had lost her once, but even then he still saw her every day and night, he didn't want to run the risk of losing her completely and never seeing her again, but he knew that he couldn't save her from here. He had to find the Nighlok and force her spirit out of him if necessary.

"I'll be back," he said.

"I know you will," Ji nodded, patting his shoulder. "And she knows you'll do everything you can to save her."

Jayden nodded and, ignoring Luke, he leaned down and kissed Ava's forehead. "I'll be back, Ava," he promised. "I'll save you!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Racing back to the place where Splitface had taken Ava's spirit and then disappeared to the Netherworld, Mike stopped in front of the cracked support beam and summoned his Spin sword. "Nighlok!" he shouted, "come out you coward! You can't do this to Ava! Do you hear me?!" he raised his sword and started attacking the beam, just as Kevin, Mia and Emily arrived behind him.

"Mike, stop!" Kevin shouted grabbing the Green ranger and pulling him away from the wall.

"Calm down!" Mia told him. "That's not going to do anything!"

"Then what should we do?" Mike asked, sighing heavily. "Tell me, what should we do?"

Kevin, Emily and Mia exchanged looks. They had no idea what to do. In a few hours Ava would be gone forever, and they had no way to get to the Netherworld to save her from that Nighlok; he had sworn to never return and it looked, for once, that they were going to keep their promises.

Emily stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Mike, hugging him tightly. "I'm gonna miss her too," she whispered, tearfully. "But we can't think like that right now. There has to be something we can... what if we're looking at this in the wrong way? What if the answer is staring straight at us, but we just can't see it because we're so worried about Ava?"

"That's probably the answer, Em," Mia nodded. "But until we actually accept the fact that in a few hours we're going to be down a ranger, we'll never see it."

"We can't think like that," Kevin said as Jayden finally arrived.

However, the second the red ranger arrived, Dekker appeared between them.

"You!" Jayden growled.

"It seems I have bad timing," Dekker said. "I was hoping we could finally duel, but you are obviously preoccupied."

"If you know that then go away!" Jayden told him. "I don't have time for your games, Dekker!"

"There is only one way for you to save your Little Samurai," Dekker said. "But you can't do that from here. If you want to get to Splitface, you'll have to go to him."

"We can't go to the Netherworld!" Mia said. "It's impossible."

"It is impossible for a mortal to cross between the worlds," Dekker nodded. "But if you want to save your little friend, then I suggest you listen closely."

"We're listening," Mike said, looking hopeful.

Dekker nodded. "The only way you can save the White ranger now is by trading your human existence and become a Nighlok. Willingly give yourself over to them and pass through the gap."

"Wait, are you saying you made that choice?" Jayden asked. He remembered Ava saying something about Dekker being the human man from Daisuke's story, the same one who lost his life to the Nighlok King, but according to the story the Nighlok King had tricked the man and woman, who Ava believed to be Dayu and Dekker, rather than then willingly giving their lives over to the Nighlok.

"I don't remember how it happened to me," Dekker answered. "But I am living proof that it can be done!"

There was a flash of blue and white flames as he transformed into his Nighlok form.

"I welcome you to do it," Dekker continued turning to face Jayden. "You can then fight in ways no living human can. It'll make our impending duel even more glorious."

There was another flash of flame, and Dekker disappeared.

"Become a Nighlok?" Mia whispered glancing at her friends. Was that what it had come down too?

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After Dekker's explanation, the rangers gathered around the crack trying to decide their next move.

"I'll do it," Mike nodded.

"Wait," Jayden said turning to the Green ranger. "It's our mission to save the entire world, we can't just - "

"Ava's your best friend," Mike challenged. "I thought you, of all people, would be the first person to try and save her!"

"Mike, that's not fair," Mia said.

"Not fair?" Mike repeated. "It wasn't fair that Ava had her spirit taken in the first place. Ava's my little sister, she's the best of all of us, she has the sweetest most caring spirit, and I won't let that Nighlok keep it."

Kevin placed his hand on Mike's shoulder. "Mike, we all know how much you care about Ava," he said. "We all do! She doesn't exactly make it easy to hate her, and as hard as it is to think that we may lose her in a few hours, you have to remember that it is our duty to protect and save as many -"

"The only person I want to save right now is Ava!" Mike interrupted. "And I'll do whatever it takes!"

"Mike, if Ava knew what you were considering -" Mia tried.

"She'd probably kill me," Mike finished for her. "But right now, Ava is in no position to be doing anything. She can kill me after I've got her spirit back."

"We also have to save all those other poor people in the hospital," Emily said taking to Mike's side. "I'll go with you!" she nodded at him.

Mike nodded and took her hand.

"No," Jayden said stopping them.

"Jayden," Emily sighed. "This is Ava we're talking about. You promised her that you would bring her back, and this is the only way. You can't stop us from doing what's right by our friend."

Jayden shook his head. "I'm not going to stop you," he said. "I'll go instead of you. Mike's right, Ava's my best friend, she's been there for me through everything. I owe it to her to save her spirit. Emily, you, Mia and Kevin are to stay here; it'll be up to you to explain everything to Ava, Antonio and Ji, they won't understand at first, but you'll have to make sure they understand this was the only way." He paused and turned to Mike. "Ready?"

Mike nodded and stepped closer to the support beam, Jayden beside him.

"Wait! Stop!" Antonio shouted as he rushed towards his friends. "Mentor told me you guys would be here!"

"Antonio?" Jayden frowned.

"I think I might be able to draw that Nighlok back through the gap," Antonio explained.

"For real?" Mike asked.

"How?" Emily asked.

"It will take a lot of symbol power," Antonio answered, returning to his fishing container, "and the Clawzord." He opened the lid as the gold lobster climbed out.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Antonio set the Clawzord down on the pavement and returned to his friends.

"Let's do this, guys," he said as he texted his Kanji, "Symbol power: Live!"

The other Rangers followed his lead, activating their spin swords and slashing through the air. They struck the Clawzord with several bright white orbs and a golden symbol. The lobster grew slightly, but not enough.

"Again!" Antonio called, firing up another symbol. The others nodded and repeated the procedure. But still it wasn't enough. "More!"

The others, breathing hard at the energy they were using just by creating their symbols, nodded. "Symbol Power: Live!" they all yelled.

All six symbols clashed against the Clawzord with unimaginable strength. The Lobster glowed brightly and expanded outwards, growing faster than anything until it was at least 30ft and towered over the rangers.

The crack on the support beam glowed a faint red, and next second the Nighlok came zooming out of it. The Clawzord smacked Splitface with his claw and knocked him to the ground, right at the Rangers feet.

As he got up, he looked around, extremely confused.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking up at the lobster that was blocking out the sun. "What is that?"

"That's my buddy Clawzord," Antonio answered. "He heard that you had something that belonged to us, and he's here to take it back!"

"But I was in the Netherworld," the Nighlok frowned. "How did you get me here?"

"It's simple," Antonio smiled. "When we came in contact, I marked you with a symbol. The same symbol I have been working with the programme the Clawzord."

The Nighlok touched the place where he had seen the symbol glowing on him in the Netherworld. "What? You marked me?" he repeated.

"Yeah, and after I finished programming the Clawzord," Antonio continued. "I just needed the other Rangers to activate him. Once we had done that, I knew you'd be drawn out of the Netherworld just like a magnet!"

The Nighlok sneered at the Gold Ranger. "This is outrageous!" he shrieked. "I refuse to believe you can beat me like this! No, no, no!"

"Shut your mouths!" Mike snapped. "You're going to pay for what you did to Ava!"

"You didn't really think we'd let you get away with this, did you, Nighlok?" Emily asked.

"It's time to end this!" Mia nodded.

"We're going to take back every spirit you've stolen!" Kevin agreed.

"Enough talk," Jayden said holding up his Samuraizer.

"It's time to light you up!" Antonio added, preparing to morph.

"Like this!" Splitface screeched. He fired several blasts at the Rangers, all of whom morphed and jumped through the blasts.

"Barracuda Blade!" Antonio called as he armed his blade with the Clawzord spin disk.

"Body swarm!" Splitface screeched, but nothing happened and he was left defenseless as Antonio attacked him at light speed. "What... why can't I do the body swarm?" Splitface wondered as he broke away from the Gold ranger.

"Get with the program," Antonio told him. "You've been marked!"

"Well, i'm marking all of you for demolition!"

"It's time to pay!" Mike said.

"No it's not!" the Nighlok said as he got up and run off. "Later!"

Mia and Kevin chased after him. "You won't get away this time!" Kevin shouted, firing his Hydro Bow at the Nighlok, at the same time Mia hit him with her Sky Fan.

The Nighlok screeched as he was knocked out of the sky.

"Forest Spear!" Mike shouted rushing at Splitface as he hit the floor.

"Earth Slicer!" Emily called as she followed Mike towards the Nighlok that had attacked her friend. Reaching the Nighlok first, Mike stabbed him with his spear and tossed him through the air, Emily threw her Slicer and watched as it ripped through the Nighlok, causing him to hit the floor and spark dangerously.

The Nighlok swayed as he got back to his feet.

"Fire Smasher!" Jayden yelled racing towards Splitface. The Nighlok screamed in fear, but his screams were quelled as Jayden sliced through him, causing him to explode, as several thousand glittering golden balls shot into the air, each one returning to the person it had been taken from.

Emily sighed and threw her arms around Mike, hugging him tightly as she knew Ava was about to wake up back home.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After defeating the Nighlok, the Rangers couldn't make it home fast enough. They thundered through the front door, Emily in the lead, and into Ava's bedroom where the White ranger was sitting up, wrapped in Luke's arms and eating cookies and ice-cream when they charged in.

"Hey guys," she smiled, offering them a spoonful of ice-cream and cookie crumble. "Want some?"

The rangers laughed in relief as Emily launched herself at the White ranger and hugged her. Ava smiled, put her bowl of ice-cream and cookies on the bedside table and hugged Emily back. It was different to the hug they had shared earlier, this one wasn't full of fear and tears, and this one was full of happiness and relief.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Emily scolded as she pulled away from Ava and looked her straight in the eye. "Do you hear me? Don't you ever scare us like that!"

"It wasn't something we could control, Em," Ava pointed out. "If he didn't get my spirit, he would have taken yours!"

"At least you would have been safe,"

"Yeah, and this conversation would be in reverse," Ava pointed out. "Because I'd be scolding you. But, hey," she shrugged, scooping a spoonful of dessert into her mouth. "I got cookies and ice-cream out of the whole deal, what more could I want?"

Jayden shook his head and pushed through the front of the group. The bed dipped slightly as he sat down, and Ava looked up, Jayden felt his heart skip a beat as she smiled at him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired," Ava answered. "Daddy told me I will need to rest for a few hours, but I should be fine by tonight."

"That's good,"

Ava nodded. "Yup. It is very good!" she smiled again. She passed Luke her half-eaten bowl, and shrugged out of his embrace before jumping up and launching herself into Jayden's arms, nearly knocking him off of the bed and onto the ground. "Thank you for saving me!" she murmured into his shoulder.

Luke glowered angrily at the Red ranger, as Jayden smirked at him, his arms wrapping themselves around Ava, whilst the others exchanged nervous looks from the doorway.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Later that evening, after Luke had left for work and Ava had received as much rest as she possibly could, Mia pulled Emily through the Shiba house and into the common room.

"Mia, where are we going?" Emily asked confused on what was up with her friend. She had only gone to check on Ava when the Pink ranger had appeared and pulled her away. "Ava said she wanted to see me!"

"Ava's not in her bedroom," Mia answered. "She's in the common room!"

Emily frowned and hurried to catch up with the Pink ranger before she pulled her arm out. They turned the corner, jumped the step and Mia pulled her around to face the common room which was decorated with hundreds upon thousands of yellow streamers, banners, and a huge board that read "Happy Birthday Emily!"

"What is all this?" Emily asked, a huge smile on her face.

"SURPRISE!" the other rangers shouted as they jumped out from where they had been hiding.

Emily laughed as Ava threw yellow confetti over her and then hugged her. "Happy Birthday!" she said, as Mike stepped forward and held out a yellow envelope with Emily's name on it. "I know we're not supposed to have contact with the outside world," she added, as Emily took the card, "but I knew this would make today extra special for you!"

Curiously, Emily opened the envelope and pulled out the card. She opened it and read the contents aloud to her friends: "_Happy Birthday my darling sister! Miss you heaps... all my love, Serena._"

"And what's a Birthday," said Antonio as he walked around Emily, his hand covering her eyes and leading her towards the table, "without a cake!"

As Emily sat down, Ji placed a rather large yellow cake down in front of her. It had two candles on either side and the words: _Happy Birthday Emily and Clawzord_ written in white frosting.

"Clawzord?" Kevin frowned.

"It's his birthday too," Antonio nodded, as the Clawzord chirped from the present table.

"OK," Kevin caved.

Reaching behind her, Ava grabbed her present from the gift table. "This is my way of saying Happy Birthday," she said handing Emily the present, "and thank you for saving me today. You truly are my best friend!"

"What about us?" Antonio gasped pointing at himself and Jayden.

"Shush!" Ava silenced him.

Antonio gasped at the White ranger and turned to Jayden. "Our trio is down to two," he said, "we've been replaced."

"Who says I've replaced Jayden?" Ava asked. "Gold is a shinier colour of Yellow, therefore, Yellow replaces Gold."

"So, I've been replaced?" Antonio asked. Ava nodded, playfully. "After I went to all that trouble of programming the Clawzord and bringing the Nighlok back just so I could save you? This is the thanks I get? Humph! Next you're on your own - argh!" he shrieked as Ava pounced on him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and her legs around his waist, as the momentum knocked him off balance.

The others laughed as Antonio hit the floor with a thud, and Ava sat on his stomach.

"I could never replace you," Ava said. "You're my twin brother... I mean, who else's mind am I going to be able to read?"

"Nice to know i'm still wanting," Antonio teased, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

Ava rolled her eyes and jumped off of him. She pulled him back to his feet and turned to Emily, who returned her attention to the gift Ava had given her. She undid the bow, ripped off the paper, and lifted the lid of the box underneath.

Lifting the lid Emily peered inside. A sliver chain bracelet lay on a yellow velvet pillow with an ape charm attached to it.

"Ava's spent months looking for the perfect gift," Mia explained. "I think Luke is regretting introducing her to the mall; he must have spent hours upon hours in different jewelry stores. In the end he suggested that she get it custom made!"

Ava nodded. "Yeah, he told me before he left earlier, that from now one the only reason we're going to the mall is if we're going to the movies!" she giggled. "He's such a party pooper!"

"He's a guy," Kevin said. "We hate shopping!"

"Meh," Ava shrugged. "You're also boring, but you don't hear us complaining!"

"Custom made things are expensive," Emily

"It was worth every penny," Ji said shaking his head.

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "I wanted to do something special for you, Emily, I wanted your first birthday away from your sister to be something you'd never forget."

Emily smiled, removed the bracelet from its box and slipped it onto her wrist, so that the Ape charm dangled down.

"I love it, Ava," she said as she got up and hugged her friend.

Ava smiled and hugged her back.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Tuesday, December 04, 2012 at 05:08am**


	18. Chapter 18: Broken Dreams

**Author's Note:** I'm here! You're here! We're all here! Yay! Sorry for the late update. Been caught up doing other things and catching up on my Lightning Sister Saga which I have neglected. Plus, I've also started a new story. I knew Digimon would come back to haunt me; oh well.

**Author's Note:** I gotta ask: Is anyone else out there that's afraid of the fact that it's the 21st December 2012 tomorrow or am I the only one? I'm such a huge worry wart; but I've gotta ask because I might not be the only one. **[_PM me if you're just like me_]**

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too: **Allie Danger, ThatOnePerson1234, Twilight Dark Angel, Sunheart13** and **Lillyrosenight** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

Kevin swung the training sword in his hand and whacked the training dummy upside the head with it. The wood vibrated against his palms causing them to tingle from the impact; he smirked at the feeling and couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of sympathy for the Moogers as he realized how it must have felt to have a sharp blade hitting you at this much momentum.

He remembered the tingly feeling his entire body received whenever he broke the surface of a swimming pool. Diving in from above, cutting the water like a knife through butter; was that how the Moogers felt whenever they were hit with one of the spin swords? Like a knife through butter? The only downside for them was they were the butter.

"Dude," Mike's voice broke through his thoughts.

Kevin blinked and turned to the Green ranger ready to shout at him for interrupting him, but Mike wasn't even looking at him. He had lowered his training sword and was staring at Jayden. Following his friend's look, Kevin noticed that Jayden, who had been training alone, had stopped and was staring into space. He exchanged a look with Emily.

"Dude," Mike said again, breaking through Jayden's silence, "you just stopped. It was like you were a million miles away. You alright?"

"It's nothing," Jayden answered.

"I think being kidnapped by Dekker has really gotten to you," Kevin said knowing full well that whatever was bothering Jayden had something to do with the Half-Nighlok. He had been really surprised when his friends had come home from Japan claiming that they had been attacked by an Arachnid Nighlok, Octoroo and Dekker.

Emily looked from Kevin to Jayden. "You can talk to us, Jayden," she said. "We're here for you."

Jayden turned away.

"Hey guys," Mia called as she wandered out of the Shiba house with Ava.

"Hey, have you finally decided to join us for training?" Kevin asked with a light smile. Emily giggled.

Mia smiled. "No, I'm heading into town for a few hours," she answered. "I told Mentor I'd be cooking dinner tonight."

"I thought Antonio was cooking tonight?" Emily asked.

"He was supposed to," Mia nodded. "But he's been working so hard on the Black Box, I thought I'd take some pressure off of him and help out, you know? Besides, he's doing everything he can to help us, I figured it's only fair that we do something nice in return. I hope you're hungry!"

Kevin, Emily and Mike exchanged looks of amusement while Ava pretended to gag from behind her big sister; she stopped and smiled innocently as Mia turned to her. "Hi," she said.

"What about you, Av?" Kevin asked.

"Nope, I'm pulling a 'Mike'," Ava said, grinning at the Green ranger. "I'm going with Mia and then i'm meeting Luke."

"Another date?" Mike teased.

"I dunno," Ava shrugged. "He's just asked me to meet him in town!"

"You're so naive, you know that?" Mike asked.

Ava smiled sweetly. "Yup, but I trust him! See you later!" she waved and hurried off after Mia who was already at the front gates.

As Ava and Mia left, Jayden shook his head and walked back inside.

"Bummer for Jayden, man," Mike said. "First Octoroo poisons him, now this?"

Emily smacked his arm with her hand. "Be nice," she scolded.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Where are you meeting Luke?" Mia asked as she and Ava walked away from the Grocery store.

Ava shrugged and looked up from her Samuraizer. "He said to meet him by the fountain," she answered. "Wherever that is!"

Mia laughed lightly. She found it entertaining to be in town with Ava, the Little Samurai had never actually left the Shiba house during her childhood and therefore had no streets smarts or idea on where everything was; for Luke to ask her to meet him in town would have been a catastrophe if she had ventured out alone.

"Are you laughing at me?" Ava asked with a smile.

"Sorry," Mia apologized. "It's not a cruel laugh, it's just Luke's asked you to meet him by the fountain, and yet you have no clue where to go but you don't seem at all bothered by it, I just find that funny."

Ava smiled. "I'm being naive and innocent again, aren't I?"

"Just a tad," Mia nodded. "But that's OK."

"It is?"

"Naive and innocence is all you know," Mia nodded. "Whilst in some ways people would see that as a dangerous combination, but when applied to you it is cute."

Ava grinned. "Is that your way of saying you will help me?" she asked.

Mia laughed again and nodded. "The fountain's just around the corner," she said, pointing ahead of them. "C'mon, I'll wait with you until Luke arrives."

"Thanks, Mia," Ava said, squeezing her older sister's arm tightly. "You're the best big sister in the whole world!"

"I know," Mia said, confidently.

Ava giggled and they continued onwards.

No sooner had they turned the corner, Mia and Ava was separated as several bystanders pushed past them, all running in the same direction. That could only mean one thing.

"Nighlok?" Mia asked.

"More like Half," said Ava pointing at Dayu. At first it looked like she was doing nothing wrong, but suddenly, with a hand as fast as lightning, she grabbed a musician by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

"This is not how I expected to spend my day," Mia muttered as she dropped her grocery bag and, pulling Ava by the arm, rushed to a more secure location. Once they were sure that they couldn't be seen by anyone, Mia and Ava snapped open their Samuraizers. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Samuraizer! Go, Go Samurai!"

They each traced their family's symbol in the air and morphed into their respective colours.

"Let him go!" Mia shouted, rushing back out into the street and racing towards Dayu.

Ava followed her. "Or we'll make you let him go!" she added.

"You want him so badly," Dayu retorted blocking each of the two girls attacks with her instrument. "Here!" she shoved the man into Mia and Ava, knocking them momentarily off balance, before attacking for a second time, Mia ducked as Ava swung her sword and blocked Dayu's attack. "Don't interfere Samurai Rangers!" she hissed as Mia and Ava ducked another blow, letting the man go in the process.

"You're not going anywhere with him!" Mia said jumping up and attacking again.

Terrified screams echoed from the food district on the other side of the plaza. Ava looked around and gasped as a white smog filled the air, when it cleared she noticed that several people were lying, face down on the tables and floors, unconscious.

"Sleep tight," the monster garbled as he slipped through the gap and stalked his way through the people he'd just put to sleep. "Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"Rhinosnorus!" Dayu growled. "What are you doing here?"

"The boss sent me," the Nighlok answered. "It's nap time for you!"

Rhinosnorus raised his arm and fired white smog at the three of them. Dayu shoved Mia away from her, knocking the Pink Ranger into Ava, who lost her footing and hit the ground with a _thud_, whilst Dayu threw the musician in front of her, using his as a human shield.

The smog engulfed him, rendering him unconscious.

"This is Master Xandred's wake up call," Dayu said as her victim hit the ground at her feet. "I'm not coming back!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Mia, Ava, are you OK?" Emily asked as she and the others arrived. Jayden, as per usual, had got there before the others and sliced at Rhinosnorus before regrouping with his team.

"Rangers!" Rhinosnorus growled. "C'mon, I'm working here!"

Raising their spin swords, Kevin and Mike rushed at Rhinosnorus leaving Emily, Ava and Mia to follow. They slashed in several consecutive sequences but each attack did very little harm to the Nighlok's skin; it was like he was covered in an impenetrable shell, like a turtle.

"Hey!" Mia shouted as she spotted Dayu making her escape with the Musician. "Dayu, stop!" she yelled rushing after the half-Nighlok.

"Mia!" Emily and Ava shouted as they tried to follow. Rhinosnorus snarled in their direction and blasted his mist blower at them, the white smog hit Ava as she passed, but Emily passed by unscratched.

Ava demorphed as she hit the ground; she rolled over onto her side and looked around sleepily. "Oh, dancing penguins," she yawned as her eyes closed and her head dropped like a stone onto her forearm.

"Dancing Penguins?" Emily asked kneeling beside her best friend and looking at Jayden.

Jayden shrugged and reached out to shake Ava's shoulder. She didn't wake up. "She's out cold," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"What do we do now?" Emily asked.

"Go help Mia," Jayden told her. "We'll sort thing out here!"

Emily nodded. "Got it!" she said, before straightening up and running off.

Jayden took another look at Ava, before returning to help Mike and Kevin against the Nighlok. He slashed across the Nighlok's back and then raised his sword to block a hit. The Nighlok threw his weight against his blade, and shoved Jayden away from him.

"Time to turn out the lights," the Nighlok said aiming his mist blower at the four rangers.

"Not so fast horn nose," Antonio shouted as he arrived, distracting the Nighlok with anchovies so he could reach his friends unharmed.

"Antonio!"

Antonio smiled. "Leave it to me!" he said, turning back to the Nighlok. Unfortunately, before he could morph or do anything else, the Nighlok hit him full in the face with a cloud of white smog, rendering him unconscious too.

"Oh no," Kevin grumbled.

"Hey buddy, not exactly the best time to take a nap," Mike said, as Antonio's eyes closed and his head rolled to the side.

"And he won't wake up until I say so," Rhinosnorus said. "Yum, the more he dreams the tastier a snack he'll be."

"Nighlok, do you really think we're going to stand here and let that happen?" Jayden asked, glancing across at Ava who was shifting in her sleep.

"Of course not. I gulp down my grub in the dream world," Rhinosnorus answered. "But i'm going to let them marinate for a little while. First things first, I have to go catch Dayu." He jumped at the rangers, who braced themselves for an impact that never came; a portal had appeared over Antonio's body and the monster disappeared through it.

"An inter-dimensional portal," Jayden said as the portal closed, blocking them out.

Mike frowned in confusion. "A what?" he asked.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"_Jayden, that Nighlok is Rhinosnorus,_" Mentor explained. "_He puts his victims to sleep and then enters into their dreams. His victims then experience vivid fantasies, usually happy ones -"_ Ava smiled and rolled over, curling into a ball and pressing her face further into her arm, while Antonio shifted and smiled broadly. Kevin and Mike exchanged looks of uncertainty.

"I do _not_ want to know what he is dreaming of," Mike said pointing at Antonio.

Kevin nodded at Ava. "What about her?" he asked.

"Knowing Ava," Mike grinned, "it's probably -"

Kevin smacked him in the shoulder.

"What?" Mike asked. "I was going to say dancing penguins!"

"Yeah, right," Kevin nodded, sarcastically while Mike tried to feign innocence. "There's no way you'll pull the innocent act off," Kevin added. "That's Ava's domain and she's got it down pat. But nice try though!"

Mike sighed, shook his head and glanced over his shoulder at Jayden. After Rhinosnorus had fled into the dream world, Jayden had walked off to call Mentor while Kevin had re-located Ava to lay beside Antonio, since both of them were in the dream world he and Mike didn't want to risk the chance of either of them getting hurt in the real world, granted they were there to watch over them, and everyone else was a sleep, but it was easier to keep an eye on two sleeping rangers when they were together rather than apart.

"_- once devoured his victims never wake up in the real world again,"_ Mentor continued. "_Who knows how long until Rhinosnorus starts eating his victims. Jayden, you must locate and destroy him fast!"_

"We're on it, Ji," Jayden nodded returning to the last two Samurai with him.

"What's the deal?" Mike asked.

"We have to enter the dream world," Jayden answered.

"How are we going to do that?" Kevin asked.

Jayden turned to his second in command. "I'll use my symbol power," he said, kneeling down beside Antonio and Ava; Ava had shifted again in her sleep and was now resting against Antonio, her head on his shoulder, and her arm clutching his as if she were hugging something... or someone. "I'm not sure how much energy it will take. But I can do it!"

"I hope you're right," Mike nodded, exchanging an uncertain look with Kevin.

"I doubt I will be able to keep the portal open for very long," Jayden added as he straightened up, walked a short distance away, and then turned to face his best friends again. He snapped open his Samuraizer and raised it, prepared to draw the portal symbol. Mike and Kevin stood behind him. "Jump in as soon as it materializes..." he said. "I'll be right behind you!"

Kevin and Mike nodded. This was going to be risky... but it was the only chance they had of saving their friends.

Jayden traced the specific symbol in the air and activated it. "Go! Now!" he shouted to Kevin and Mike, both of whom jump feet first into the portal and disappeared. Jayden strained and collapsed to the ground as the portal closed, sealing him out of the dream world and leaving him alone with his two unconscious friends.

He'd have to trust Mike and Kevin to save them.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Cookies!"

"One at a time! One at a time! Ava Hope Brooks, I said one at a time!"

Ava pouted and looked up into the loving face of her mother. "But Jayden -"

"- 'is not here yet," Evelyn smiled scooping her daughter up and spinning her around. Ava giggled and clutched her mother tightly around the neck. "If you eat too many cookies you'll be sick and won't eat your dinner."

"I'm not hungry!"

"Well, then you won't want cookies," Evelyn said lifting the plate up and walking towards the trashcan. She opened the lid and tipped the plate towards the black depths.

Ava whimpered and made a grab for the sugary snacks. "Nooo, Mommy!" she wailed.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry?" Evelyn asked.

"No dinner. More cookies!"

Evelyn sighed and shook her head. "I'll murder your father when I catch him," she said putting the cookies back on the side and shifting Ava to her other arm. "And what have you been eating? You weigh a ton!"

"If she keeps eating the way she does she'll be the weight of a baby elephant by Christmas," said a voice from the door.

Ava gasped and glanced around. Charles Shiba stood in the doorway with his two children: Jayden and Lauren. Ava giggled and kicked her legs to be put down; Evelyn complied with her request and smiled as her bounced across the room and threw her arms around Jayden.

"What, no hug for me?" Charles asked as Ava hugged Lauren too.

"No," she said. "You big mean bully! You said I be like baby elephant!"

Evelyn chuckled as Charles's face fell.

"Merry Christmas to you too, squirt!"

Ava stuck her tongue out and then followed Jayden and Lauren into the living room. She jumped up onto the sofa and started to bounce up and down while Lauren scrambled for the remote before Jayden could nab it, she quickly secured the right to watch whatever she wanted, and settled down in her uncle Ji's best chair to watch the TV.

"No fair!" Jayden whined. "You bigger than me!"

"All's fair in love and war, baby brother," Lauren said without looking at him.

Jayden glared at her and walked over to where Ava was still bouncing on the sofa. "You're lucky to not have a big sister, Av," he said. "Big sisters suck!"

"I'm kinda like her big sister," Lauren called.

"And you suck!" Jayden called back.

Ava giggled and jumped off of the sofa, landing on Jayden who was standing in front of her. The two tumbled across the living room floor, laughing and giggling. They came to a stop behind the chair Lauren was sitting in with Ava sitting on Jayden's stomach.

"I don't wanna watch TV," Ava said. "Can we go play outside?"

"And play what?"

Ava grinned. "You're it!" she announced, tapping Jayden on the head. She then jumped to her feet and sprinted from the room, giggling as she went.

Jayden grumbled and took off after her.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Kevin blinked as he looked around. The world had lost most of its colour and was now a dull shade of black and white. Many people wandered around wearing old-fashioned clothes. Women sat on blankets with umbrella's over their shoulders while men sat opposite them wearing bow-ties and bowler hats.

"This is the dream world?" he asked. "It looks pretty... normal!"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, eyeing the place warily. "Normal!"

"Check this out!" Antonio's voice shouted from afar. Kevin looked around as Mike grinned at the scenes before it, while it was weird, and freaking him out beyond belief, he couldn't help but smile and laugh at it all.

Kevin nudged him. "Hey, I've found Antonio," he said pointing the Gold ranger out to the Green.

Mike looked around but before he could see Antonio he spotted Ava. She was watching two children chase one another around the lawn. "Yeah, and I see Ava!" he said pointing at the White ranger.

"I did it!" Antonio yelled gleefully. "Oh! Biggest fish of the year!"

"If you want," said Kevin, "I'll talk to Antonio..."

"And I'll get Ava," Mike nodded.

Kevin agreed and made his way through the crowd to where Antonio was standing with his trophy, while Mike made his way across the green towards the White ranger; she was so engrossed with what was happening with the two children that she didn't notice him until he was standing right beside her, and even then she didn't acknowledge him.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"You're it!" Jayden said grabbing Ava around the waist and tumbled forward onto the grass.

Ava grinned and pushed him off of her so that he was lying beside her; she then scrambled up and sat on his stomach. "I'm not it!" she said. "You're it!"

"Nuh-uh!" Jayden protested. "You're it! I caught you!"

"Tag!" Ava announced tapping his shoulder. "You're it!"

Jayden tapped her back. "You're it!" he confirmed.

"Tag!"

"Tag!"

"Tag!"

"T - DADDY!" Ava squealed as she was lifted off of Jayden. She squirmed and glanced over her shoulder at her father. "Daddy, tell Jayden's he's it!"

"Nuh-uh," Jayden said shaking his head and jumping to his feet. "She's it!"

Ji chuckled and looked between his godson and daughter. "Why don't you both play a game that you can agree on?" he suggested.

"Like what?" the two friends asked.

"How about hide and seek?" Ji suggested.

Ava looked at Jayden. "OK!" she said. "Jayden count and I hide!"

"But when you hide I find you in like five seconds!" Jayden complained.

"Daddy, Jayden won't let me hide!"

Ji, who had set Ava down and was making his way back towards the house, sighed and glanced back. "Jayden, be nice and let Ava hide," he said.

"Fine!" Jayden groaned.

Ava grinned and clapped her hands happily, sticking her tongue out at her best friend. "And this time you're not going to find me!" she said before running off.

"Whatever," Jayden sighed turning away. He covered his eyes and started to count. "1... 2... 3... 4... 5..."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Ava..."

Ava jumped at the sound of Mike's voice. "Mike, how are you here?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Av is that -?" he broke off as he recognized the two children that Ava had been watching.

"Me and Jayden," Ava nodded.

"How old are you?"

"I'm six," Ava answered pointing at the little girl who was hiding in the bushes. "And Jayden's nine!" she pointed at the little boy who was now seeking the girl. "It's almost Christmas. Uncle Charlie always brings Jayden around on Christmas Eve; it's been a tradition since we were kids."

Mike smiled sadly as he glanced at his little sister. "Ava, this is a dream," he told her. "None of its real. You and Jayden, you're not - you're not six and nine, your sixteen and nineteen -"

Ava blinked and turned to the Green ranger. "I know," she nodded.

"Wait - you know?"

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "It'll be kinda weird if it weren't, wouldn't it? I mean, if this weren't a dream and it was reality I'd be experiencing hide and seek with Jayden and waiting for Christmas with my mommy and daddy for real," she pointed at the little girl who was now running away from Jayden. "That would be _me_ - real me - and you wouldn't be here, neither would Kevin and Antonio or all these other people!"

Mike blinked and then chuckled. "What about Xandred?" he asked.

"Xandred's gone," Ava smiled looking back at the playing children. "Mommy and Uncle Charlie finished him off nine months ago; all the other rangers have gone home to spend Christmas with their families. Everyone's safe and happy... and..."

"Is that snow?" Dream Ava's little voice cut through the conversation. Mike and real Ava looked around and watched as several tiny snowflakes fell from the sky, melting as they touched the floor. Dream Jayden and Ava had stopped their fun and games and were now staring at the sky where more snow was falling. "Mommy, Daddy! Come quickly! It's snowing!"

Mike chuckled and wrapped his around the White ranger. "You were a cute kid," he said, hugging her.

"Thanks," Ava smiled. "Sometimes I just wish this were real!"

"I don't think we would have met if it was, Av,"

"Yes it would have," Ava nodded. "Don't you get it Mike? This is my dream! I control what happens here! In my dream world Xandred doesn't exist, the Nighlok have been defeated and all the other Rangers have gone home to their families."

Mike frowned. "If the Nighlok don't exist, then your father wouldn't have a reason to call on me and the others when Xandred returns, henceforth we wouldn't have met." He explained. He knew Ava was slow, but come on, this was ridiculous.

Ava giggled. "It's not only Uncle Charlie that comes for Christmas, Mike," she said pointing back at the scene. "Rangers together, Samurai forever, remember?" she pointed at her dream world and several more people appeared out of nowhere. Mike recognized them as the Samurai generation before their own; primarily their parents.

"You dream of us?"

"It wouldn't be Christmas if we all aren't here," Ava smiled. "Christmas is about being with your family!"

Mike smiled and this time hugged her with both arms. "You're a weird one, snowflake," he teased. "You get the chance to dream of anything you want, and you dream of a life that you already have... well," he added with a small shrug, "almost!"

"I dream of a perfect world," Ava said. "Where the Nighlok don't exist, and those we've lost to Master Xandred do. There's nothing wrong with that, is it?"

"No," Mike said shaking his head. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a happy ending."

Ava grinned, but before she could reply Kevin's voice interrupted. He had left Antonio - yes she had noticed they had split up - and was making his way towards them, but he was pointing at something over his shoulder. "Mike, we've got trouble!"

Over Kevin's shoulder Mike spotted Rhinosnorus. He looked ready to eat two guys who were dressed as traditional samurai's, although it seemed the only thing they lacked was bravery as they whimpered and cowered in the face of danger.

"Ava," Mike sighed turning to the White ranger. He wasn't sure if she was going to be much help in here.

"Go," Ava smiled. "I'm ready to wake up now!"

Mike nodded and left with Kevin. Ava watched them rescue the two guys from the Nighlok, before turning back to her own dream, as she did so she spotted Antonio polishing his trophy and showing it off to anyone and everyone who passed, she smiled and shook her head.

Antonio was the same inside his dreams as he was on the outside.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Meanwhile in the real world while Jayden watched over Antonio and Ava, Mia was also unconscious somewhere in the woods alongside Dayu, while Emily did everything possible to find her.

"Mia!" Emily shouted. She had strayed from the beaten path a long time ago, and the forest was seriously starting to creep her out. Every tree and rock looked the same, and they all seemed to be taunting her, whispering amongst them - yes she believed that the trees were alive, she was after all the Earth Samurai and while the trees would most likely have fallen into the Forest category they were also a part of the Earth. Mike would just have to learn to share.

Emily groaned as the silence started to ebb away at her thoughts. It was creepy out here alone.

"Mia!" she shouted again, but Mia continued to remain silent. "Mia, where are you?" What if something had happened to her? Emily shook her head and scolded herself for thinking such negative thoughts, she couldn't think like that. Mia was a strong fighter! She was fine. With a sigh, Emily pushed onwards. "It feels like i'm running around in circles," she complained. "Where could she be?"

On the other side of the forest, Mia slept soundly, whilst in the dream world she continued to follow the human Dekker and Dayu back to their cabin.

It seemed that the story that Evelyn Brooks had told her daughter all those years ago was exactly true, while a part of her had wanted to believe Ava, another part of her couldn't help but feel a slight confusion; how had Evelyn Brooks known that Dekker and Dayu had been the ones from the Nighlok legend? Or had she just said that in order to warn her daughter that not everything was as it seemed in the world of the Samurai?

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"I have a wedding gift for you," the dream-Dayu said taking Uramasa from the closet and turning back to her husband. "For my brave Samurai!" she smiled, before gasping as dream-Dekker held up a small harmonium for her, he knew how much she loved music and got it for her specifically for their wedding. Dream-Dayu smiled at the sight of the instrument.

Night fell and Dream-Dekker and Dayu retired to their bedroom. Mid-way through the night, however a fire broke out, flames flickered and burned everything they touched. Dayu sat up in bed, fear riddling her body as she stared around at the flames and the empty bed beside her. Where was Dekker?

"Dekker?" she called out desperately.

Finally locating her husband unconscious in the living room, Dayu effortlessly dragged him from the burning cabin and knelt beside him on the lawn outside. Being in the middle of nowhere seemed like a great idea at the planning stages, now it was turning out to be a nightmare from hell. Their house had burned down and Dekker was dying, but despite the fact that no one was around, Dayu still cried out for help.

"Somebody, please, hear my call!" she cried to the darkened skies.

There was a flash of light and a shadowy figure appeared. "I can save him," he said. "For a price!"

"Please," Dayu begged. "I'll do anything!"

"Simply trade you humanity for an eternity in the Netherworld," the shadowy figure said.

Dayu stared at him and then looked down at her husband. His breathing was shallow and his grip was loosening from around her hand. He was fading fast. Seeing no alternative, Dayu raised her head and nodded, tears streaked down her face, making visible streaks through the ash that had settled on her face.

"I accept," she agreed.

"Then step aside," the shadowy figure said.

Dayu did has instructed and watched as the figure hit her husband with a spell. His eyes opened and he took a great gulp of fresh air.

"He shall live," the shadowy figure said. "But has a cursed half-human and half-Nighlok with no memory of you!"

Dayu gasped and shook her head. "No! You tricked me!" she cried.

The shadowy figure laughed and disappeared just as Dekker started to rise. He straightened up and transformed into the Nighlok Dekker that Mia knew from outside of this world, and then without a glance at his wife, Dekker disappeared.

Dayu turned away from her destroyed and broken dreams; tears flowed freely down her cheeks and she clutched her wedding gift to her tightly; it was the only thing she had left of a world that her been ripped so unfairly away from her. Yellow embers of energy wrapped themselves around the crying Dayu and transformed her into the Nighlok that had kidnapped Brides and attacked the musician.

Mia watched on with a look of despair. No wonder Dayu was the way she was. She had lost everything, she had nothing left to live for, well, technically she did still have her husband but he didn't even recognize her anymore.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The dream portal opened over the musician's body and Kevin, Mike and Rhinosnorus flew out. The Green and Blue rangers grabbed at the Nighlok's ankles and threw him to the ground, while they landed a few feet away.

"Gotcha!" they said before realizing they were back in their own world.

"You made me miss my snack!" Rhinosnorus growled picking himself up from the ground.

"We're putting you big butt on a diet!" Mike said, balancing his Spin sword on the palm of his hand. He tapped the bottom of it and grabbed it around the handle, running at the monster along with Kevin. The two attacked, spun outwards away from the Nighlok and then slashed upwards, cutting off his mist blower as he prepared to attack them with it.

Rhinosnorus cried out in vain as his weapon exploded in the air above him. "No!" he roared. "That means all my sleeping snacks will wake up!"

Behind them the musician stirred and sat up. He took one look at the fighting rangers and monster, before scrambling to his feet and running away in the opposite direction.

"You're going to bed without your supper, creep!" Mike said as he held onto the Nighlok for Kevin to attack.

"We're about to dash your dreams!" Kevin nodded slicing at the creature with his spin sword.

"We can do this all day, Nighlok," Mike agreed. "Round and round it goes right on your nose!" he struck the Nighlok's horn with his Forest spear.

"Spin sword!" Kevin said, spinning his power disk and transforming his sword into its secondary weapon. "Hydro Bow!" he fixed his water disk to the top of the weapon, pulled back the handle and fired several blue water based attacks at the Nighlok; the beams soared over head as the Nighlok disappeared through a gap in the forest floor.

Mike grumbled in annoyance.

"We just missed him!" Kevin complained.

"So close!" Mike agreed, resting on his forest spear and looking around the empty clearing below.

The Nighlok was long gone.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Ava blinked and opened her eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Mommy," she whispered as Antonio stirred beside her. He pushed himself up, her head slipping from his shoulders as he looked around wildly for his trophy; he stopped when he saw her lying beside him.

"Ava?" he asked. "What are you -?"

"Antonio," Jayden's voice came from behind them.

Ava rolled over onto her hands and knees and stared at her best friend. "Jayden," she sighed, crawling towards him.

She wanted to go back to her dream world and watch herself play with him in the front garden of the home she shared with her parents, she wanted him to chase her, make her laugh and squeal like he used too; but she knew what she had seen in the dream world was never going to happen, at least not in the way she had hoped.

"Are you OK?" Jayden asked as Ava sat in his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She hadn't done this since _before_ they had become full-time Rangers, she used to do it quite often when they were kids, and all the time when they were just Samurai in-training.

"Yeah," Ava nodded. "I just want to be close right now!"

Jayden smiled and hugged her to him.

"What happened?" Antonio asked.

"You were trapped in the Dream World," Jayden answered, smiling at Antonio's confusion. "Mike and Kevin went in and saved you."

Antonio looked thoughtful as he rolled onto his stomach. "Yeah, I remember Kevin being there," he nodded. "But I didn't see Mike..."

"Mike was with me," Ava answered. "He tried to tell me that I was in the dream world -"

"Yeah, Kevin tried convincing me that it was all a dream too," Antonio nodded. "But it seemed so real!"

Ava nodded. "That was the whole point," she answered. "The dream world unleashes are deepest desire. I already knew I was dreaming..."

"How did you know?" Jayden asked.

"Because my dream is something that could never happen," Ava answered. "It's just something I conjured up to comfort myself when I'm asleep, something to chase away the bad dreams."

Antonio looked interested. "So, what did you dream of?" he asked.

Ava smiled and looked down. "A perfect world," she answered. "No Nighlok. No big, bad monster. Just me," she looked up at Jayden, "you..." she turned back to Antonio, "and those I love the most!"

The ground shook violently and the three rangers looked up to see giant Moogers and Spit fangs appear through several gaps and tower over the city.

"Oh no," Antonio said. "We've got some bad company."

"We need to go into Megazord mode," said Jayden, untangling himself from Ava and getting to his feet. He stumbled at the lack of energy and was caught by Antonio before he could collapse again.

Ava jumped up and grabbed his other arm.

"You're exhausted," said Antonio.

"You'll never last through a Megazord fight!" Ava agreed.

"What choice do we have?" Jayden asked.

"Let me and Ava take this one," Antonio said. "You up for a double team, Av?"

Ava grinned. "Oh, double team," she grinned. "That'd be a first!"

"Haha," Antonio mocked knowing that she was referring to the number of times growing up that he and Jayden had refused to let her play-fight with them, mostly because she was too young and could barely hold a training sword, even when she tried it always knocked her off balance because of its weight. "You sure that sword of yours is not going to knock you over this time?"

"Meh," Ava said sticking her tongue out. "I don't need a sword to take out a couple of Moogers and Spit fangs! I'm gonna make several ugly ice sculptures!"

Antonio laughed. "Let's do it!" he nodded.

"Yeah!" Ava nodded snapping open her Samuraizer. "Go, Go Samurai!"

"Gold power!" Antonio followed suit as they morphed into their respective colours.

"Samurai Ranger, ready!"

"Samurai morpher," Antonio said. "Claw zord, I need you!"

"Aw, that's so sweet," Ava teased as Antonio took to the Claw Zord. Leaving her with Jayden. "Be right back," she smiled holding up her Samuraizer and Folding Zord. "Penguin Zord!" she said tracing the kanji for 'super' over the top of the black and white animal. "Mega Mode Power!"

Jayden, no longer supported by his friends, staggered slightly as Ava jumped up into the newly created giant Penguin. The flightless bird chirped and then zoomed off towards the Spit Fangs and Moogers. _I have to help them_, he thought reaching for his own Samuraizer. He didn't have much energy left but that didn't really matter now, he couldn't just stand down here and watch his friends fight without him.

"Go, Go Samurai!" he yelled, morphing into his Ranger suit. "Lion Folding Zord! Mega Mode Power!"

His Lion grew massive and he jumped into the cockpit, before racing off towards Ava who was flying rings around the Moogers, turning them instantly to ice as she clipped them with her Zords snowboard.

"Hey, Ava, let me do the heavy lifting here," Antonio called to the White ranger.

"What, you're joking, right?" Ava asked swooping high out of reach of the last remaining Moogers. "Hey! No touchy the Penguin!" she shouted at them.

The Moogers divided as two Spit Fangs opened their massive jaws and fired two fireballs at Antonio and the Claw Zord.

"Antonio, look out!" Jayden shouted. He jumped in front of his friend and took the impact of the two fireballs instead.

"Jayden?" Ava squeaked swooping down beside the Lion Zord. "Jayden, are you OK?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Jayden answered.

"Good, now I won't feel bad for doing this!" She tapped the edge of her snowboard against the Lion Zord. The Lion growled at her in response. "We told you we had this!"

"I'm not going to let you have all the fun," Jayden said and Ava could hear a smile in his voice.

She huffed. "Party crasher!" she teased turning away and re-facing the Moogers. "Fine. But the Moogers are mine!" she pushed forward on her controls, and surfed around the last remaining Moogers turning them to ice as she zipped between them.

"Time for us to turn up the heat!" Jayden said charging forward. Flames surrounded his Lion and as he charged through the now frozen Moogers they started to melt, by the time he had reached the other side of the Ice sculptures, they were nothing more than puddles of water that were seeping out of the city via the storm drains.

"My turn!" said Antonio. "I'm gonna make them feel the pinch!"

He urged his Claw Zord on, snapping at the Spit Fangs with his pincers. They reacted by firing more fireballs at the gold ranger, but before they could impact on the Claw zord, Ava zoomed between them and froze them, turning them into ice balls instead. They dropped to the ground and shattered into tiny crystalized pieces of ice.

"Get 'em, Antonio!" Ava said zooming off into the air. Her penguin chirping happily.

Antonio nodded and charged at the Spit Fangs. A bright light erupted from his Zord and when it dimmed the Spit Fangs were gone. "Yes!" Antonio cheered. "We did it! We took out all those giant Moogers!"

"Excuse me, I took out the giant Moogers," Ava protested. "You just dealt with two itty-bitty Spit fangs!"

"I helped," Antonio argued.

"No you didn't," Ava shot back. "I froze them and Jayden melted them! You didn't do anything!"

"Hey, I took out to Spit Fangs all by myself," Antonio pointed out. "I had no help from Jayden..."

"No, you had help from me," said Ava. "Or don't you remember the second set of fireballs? If it weren't for me you'd be toast by now!"

Antonio stuck his tongue out even though she couldn't see him. "You couldn't just let me have one moment, could you?" he asked, swatting at her with the claws of his Zord.

Ava giggled and swooped out of reach. "You can't get me! You can't get me!" she laughed.

Jayden rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Either way," he shrugged. "Victory is ours!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Antonio winced as pain riddled his body with every movement. He was following Jayden down the sidewalk towards a warehouse clearing yard while Ava dragged herself along behind him, that last battle had really tired them out.

"Great job," Jayden said sitting down. "Just look old times... well, almost," he added as Ava fell into his lap and curled up against him. "Are you OK?"

"So tired," the White ranger mumbled.

"What about you, Antonio?" Jayden asked noticing the pained expressions on the Gold ranger's face. "Are you OK?"

"Every muscle hurts!" Antonio groaned as he lowered himself down onto the crate beside the Red ranger. "Hey, how come he gets hugs and I don't?" he added nudging Ava's leg with his fist.

Ava shrugged. "He was there when I landed," she said. "If you had gotten her first I would have landed in your lap first."

"Jayden, trade places," Antonio said. "Ava do it again!"

"Nah, i'm OK where I am," Jayden said with a laugh.

Antonio pouted. "Oh, I want hugs too," he whined.

Ava squirmed her way out of Jayden's arms and squeezed herself in between them both on the crate. She then took Jayden's arm and Antonio's, and wrapped them both around her. "There, now you both get hugs!" she giggled.

"But you love me more, right?" Antonio asked pointing at himself.

Ava rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Obviously," she said playing along.

"Hey!" Jayden said, but he knew they were joking around. "Well, she may love you more," he added to Antonio, "but you're my girl, right?"

"'Course," Ava nodded, not realizing how much that one confirmation meant to him. She was still his girl... not his girl_friend_, but still _his_ girl. It was better than being his nothing.

"Well, isn't this sweet," droned a deep, yet familiar voice.

Antonio, Ava and Jayden jumped in surprise, their silence and playful moment ruined by the return of the half-Nighlok that was determined to fight the Red ranger in a one-on-one duel to the death, the same half-Nighlok that had kidnapped him in Japan and told him he was warped because of a secret he harbored inside, the same half-Nighlok that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted in the end.

"Not him again," Antonio sighed as he, Ava and Jayden turned to face Dekker. He was standing no more than ten feet away from them, the shutter behind him was closed, a clear sign that he had crept up on them from the same gate they had used, or possibly from an portal, he was a Nighlok which meant he could travel between the Human world and the Netherworld via the gaps; plus if he had come from behind the shutter there's the chance he would have lost his element of surprise, at least this way he had them trapped like rats.

Jayden pushed himself up and staggered to stand in front of Dekker. If he wanted a fight, then he was ready to oblige. This had gone on long enough. He was tired of being stalked by Dekker simply because the Nighlok refused to take no for an answer.

"Jayden, what do you think you're doing?" Antonio asked jumping up to stop his best friend.

"Why do you want to fight him now?" Ava asked taking a stand between Jayden and Dekker, just like she had done in Japan. There was no way she was going to let this guy take her best friend, not now... not ever.

Dekker smirked at the form of alliance between the three rangers before him. He had watched them many times in the past, the entire team of rangers was a close group which was one of the reasons why they were not easily defeated, but these three held a different bond. A stronger bond, and from watching them from afar he had learned that their bond seemed to stem from one individual.

The White Samurai Ranger.

There was something about her that made the Red and Gold rangers stronger, something that held the three of them together; and, after watching how well they worked together, Dekker knew that without the White ranger he could get the Red Ranger to do just about anything he desired.

This was the reason he was here. For once he was not here for the Red ranger, although he did work into this whole equation. But, no, this time he was here for the White Ranger, the Little Samurai, he had something for her, something that he knew she would do anything to get back.

Dekker reached into his shawl and pulled out a small object. It was dark blue with an insignia two digit number of the front. "Recognize this, White Ranger?" he asked tossing the desired object into her possession.

Ava frowned and held up the item. It was a baseball cap. But not just any ordinary baseball cap, she'd seen it before.

"Wait, this is..." Ava murmured, her eyes widening in fear as she looked up at Dekker. "Oh God, no..." she whispered. "Please, no..."

Dekker smirked maliciously.

"Ava, what is it?" Antonio asked. "Do you know who this belongs too?"

Ava swallowed. The smirk said it all. It was true... her thoughts were true. Dekker needn't have to say anything to confirm what she was thinking. His smirk held all the answers that she seeked. He had done it. He had taken the person this cap belonged too.

He had taken -

"Luke..."

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N:** Dun! Dun! Duuuunnnnn! I'll try and get the Ultimate Duel chapter out tomorrow.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 03:55am**


	19. Chapter 19: Broken Dreams Part II

**Author's Note:** This is by far the longest chapter I have EVER written for this story… and it is also one of the saddest. Hopefully it will become more upbeat.

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too: **Life-Luvr123** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mate.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others; jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

**Last Time on Power Rangers Samurai**

_"Let him go!"_

_"Or we'll make you let him go!"_

_"The boss sent me. It's nap time for you!"_

_"This is Master Xandred's wake up call. I'm not coming back!"_

_"Oh, dancing penguins,"_

_"Oh no,"_

_"Hey buddy, not exactly the best time to take a nap,"_

_"Dayu, this must be her dream."_

_"Mia! Mia, where are you?"_

_"Well, isn't this sweet,"_

_"Not him again,"_

_"Jayden, what do you think you are doing?"_

_"Why do you want to fight him now?"_

_"Wait, this is... Oh God, no... Please, no..."_

_"Luke..."_

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Mia gasped and ducked as Dayu raised her blade and swept downwards through the air; she raised her hand, Samuraizer prepared, but before she could even activate the morphin' sequence Dayu sliced through it. Sparks flew outwards as the Samuraizer snapped in half and hit the ground.

"Mia!" Emily yelled. She had finally located her friend and hoped that she wasn't too late. Spin sword in hand, the Yellow ranger rushed at Dayu and blocked her attack on the Pink ranger.

Dayu growled at the intrusion, although she had expected it. The Rangers never ventured anywhere unless they were in pairs. "Pesky little brat!" she snapped at Emily, cutting down the blade and slicing Emily across the stomach.

Emily rolled away from Mia, she demorphed and curled into a ball, her arm wrapped around her waist.

"Emily!" Mia gasped scrambling across the forest floor to her little sister. "To think I wanted to help you!" she shouted after Dayu. "I thought you still had a shred of humanity in you, but I guess that was wrong!"

"Hmm," Dayu said, thoughtfully as she turned back to face the two rangers. "You're right," she nodded. "Fighting you naive little girls serves me no purpose."

Mia shook her head as she narrowed her eyes at the Half-Nighlok.

Without a word, Dayu turned and walked away, leaving Mia to help Emily back to her feet. The Yellow ranger was a little shaky, but kept trying to reassure her older sister than she was fine.

Mia was having none of it.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Ava, what are you talking about?" Antonio asked as Ava turned the baseball cap over and over in her hands.

"Where is he?" Ava snapped her gaze on Dekker. "What did you do to him? What do you want with him?"

"I want what I always want," Dekker answered switching his gaze from Ava and onto Jayden. "Our impending duel -"

Ava clutched the baseball cap tightly in her fists. She hated how Dekker found it easy to ignore her and jump onto a topic that seemed irrelevant to the conversation at hand. "Hey," she sniped, making herself known, normally she was more of a blend into the background and disappear into the shadows type of person, but Dekker had taken someone she cared deeply about. "Where is Luke?"

"He is safe," Dekker answered without looking at her. "You will get him back -"

"When?" Ava interrupted impatiently. "When will I get him back? How do I even know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't," Dekker said shaking his head. "You're just going to have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Antonio scoffed. "Are you for real? You're a Nighlok! Why would we trust you?"

Dekker snapped his gaze to the Gold ranger. "Because I have something you want," he said. "You want the boy back alive, don't you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Antonio asked.

"You want the boy back," Dekker pressed on. "I want my duel with the Red Ranger. It will happen and not you, or your Little Samurai -" he glowered at Ava, "can stop it!" He held up Uramasa and pointed it at the three Samurai rangers before him. "This is not a fight between you and I, White Ranger, stand aside!"

Ava shook her head. She wouldn't move. Luke may or may not have been alive; but either way she couldn't lose Jayden too. He was too exhausted to fight, she knew that this battle would not satisfy Dekker's hunger for the ultimate duel, if she could keep him occupied for a few seconds longer, maybe she could get information on Luke _and_ deter Dekker from fighting Jayden at the given time.

The shutter behind Dekker suddenly clattered upwards. They stopped when they had reached the top, revealing a small cluster of Moogers on the otherside.

For once, Ava sighed in relief at the appearance of Master Xandred's soldiers. While they would most likely attack her, Jayden and Antonio, she had a vivid feeling that Dekker wasn't going to allow them within striking distance of the Samurai. He wanted Jayden for himself, Moogers interference wasn't going to stop him from getting what he wanted.

"It would seem that Master Xandred and his noodle-faced crony, Octoroo, has seen to it that we are interrupted yet again," Dekker said, as in a flash of blue flames he transformed into his Nighlok state.

"And he thinks that's a bad thing," Ava whispered over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Antonio whispered back.

"Playing for time," Ava answered.

"You're going to get yourself killed," Jayden said. "Or worse!"

"What's worse than death?" Ava frowned. "Besides, i'm actually trying to prolong _your_ life and save Luke's! It would be nice to have a little bit of co-operation!"

Jayden rolled his eyes and exchanged a look with Antonio.

The Moogers snarled and charged forward at the three Samurai, but Dekker stopped them, just as Ava predicted. He was so focused on fighting Jayden that he defeated the Moogers before they could even reach the Red, White and Gold rangers.

"He's relentless," Antonio said watching the fight. The Moogers hit the ground and exploded. "They weren't even a challenge for him!" he added as Dekker turned back in their direction. He was still in his Nighlok transformation and looked slightly more intimidating than he did as a human; even Ava seemed to have lost her nerve.

Dekker slid Uramasa back into its sheath and transformed back into a human. "Alright, Red Ranger," he said without looking at the three Samurai, "our time to duel has come!"

"No," said Antonio. "Not now! We just finished a battle! Besides, we Rangers don't fight for the sake of fighting!"

"Not even to save the life of an innocent," Dekker said.

Antonio tightened his hand around Ava's forearm. "We'll get Luke back!"

"Red Ranger, I'll give you twenty-four hours," Dekker said, pointing at Jayden. "But there will be no further delay. Tomorrow," he nodded, "metal will meet metal!"

Jayden shook his head. "Didn't you hear Antonio? I won't fight for fighting sake! I only fight to protect the innocent!"

Dekker smirked and nodded. "Well, then," he said looking down at his sword, "you have more than enough reasons to fight, don't you? If you don't show then I will have no use for the boy." He caressed the handle of his sword. "I doubt I will be able to control myself!"

"You'd threaten an innocent person?" asked Jayden. "Then you're not half-human. You're a true Nighlok!"

"Call me what you want," Dekker shrugged. "But that boy will not be safe if you fail to show. And his pain, along with her's -" he pointed at Ava, "will be your fault, not mine!"

Jayden glowered angrily at Dekker. Not only was he threatening Luke, who at this point had become so much more than just Ava's boyfriend, but he was also threatening the one thing that Jayden possibly care about above everything else. "Then you leave me no choice," said Jayden. "I will fight, and I will defeat you!"

"Noon. Tomorrow. By the sea."

He threw Ava and Antonio one last look before turning and walking away.

Ava gasped and burst into tears. Luke was in trouble and it was her fault.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Emily smiled as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Mia stood opposite her pouring tea into a cup, and Emily knew that it was for her, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Mia was feeling guilty for her getting hurt.

"Hey Mia," she smiled.

"I was just going to bring some tea in for you," Mia said, startled to find Emily walking around.

"Thanks," Emily nodded taking a seat at the table. "But you really have to stop fussing over me. I'm almost as good as new."

Mia looked down at the tea. No matter how much Emily said she was fine, the Pink ranger couldn't help but still feel guilty for getting her hurt. "It's just that when it was time to fight Dayu," she said setting the tea down on the table in front of Emily, "I hesitated and you got hurt."

"I understand," said Emily. "Seeing Dayu's past in that dream world. It must have been hard on you."

"That's the problem," said Mia. "I can't afford to let my feelings get in the way of our mission anymore."

"You're really being too hard on yourself," Emily soothed.

"Guys," Mike said, appearing in the doorway behind the two girls. "We're all meeting in the living room. It's important!"

Emily and Mia exchanged looks; they had a vague idea of what was going on, after all Ava had come straight to their room once she had returned with Jayden and Antonio. She had told them the whole situation before bursting into tears again and crying herself to sleep; she must have awakened in order for there to be a team meeting.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

As she followed Mike into the living room, Mia noticed that Ava wasn't present and could only assume that she was still sleeping, which was probably for the better seeing as this team-meeting was in fact about Luke's current situation and Dekker's threat to Jayden.

Once everyone had taken their seats, save for Kevin who was still pacing the room, anxiously thinking over everything that Jayden had told him about Dekker. "Jayden," he sighed, "it's crazy to do this! Take on Dekker? And do it alone?"

"Dekker insists," Antonio defended. "That's how it has to be!"

"You can't do this," Kevin argued. "A Samurai only fights battles that are necessary."

"This _is_ necessary," Jayden answered. "If I don't go Dekker threatened to hurt Luke."

"OK, fine," Kevin shrugged. "So we'll handle him like any other Nighlok... as a team!"

Jayden sighed and straightened up. "Kevin, you don't get it! If i'm not alone it won't satisfy him!" he said.

"Since when do we let a Nighlok dictate how we battle?"

Silence fell as the others exchanged looks. It wasn't like Kevin to lose his temper around Jayden.

"I now know that Dekker is not going to stop unless Jayden duels him," Mia said, she wasn't looking at anyone in particular, but rather talking to the group as a whole. "We have to let him go!"

"Mia," Kevin breathed. "How can you say that? Jayden isn't just our leader! He is also the only one who has the sealing power!" he looked up at the Red ranger. "You're the key to stopping the Nighlok!"

Mike nodded. "Kev's right," he agreed, turning back to Jayden. "You shouldn't risk it!"

"But what about Luke?" Emily asked. "We can't just leave him with Dekker!"

"We won't," said Kevin. "We'll save him like we do everyone else!"

"You're going to get him killed," said Ava as she appeared from around the corner. "Dekker was specific when he said that he wanted to fight Jayden and only Jayden. I don't want him to go any more than you do," she added as Kevin opened his mouth to retort, "but Luke is in this mess because of me and I can't save him this time!"

Kevin sighed. "Ava -"

"I just want him to come home!"

"But what happens if in the process of saving Luke," said Mike, "we lose Jayden?"

Ava shook her head, she couldn't think like that. "We won't," she said.

"How do you know that?" Kevin asked.

Ava stared at the Blue ranger and then looked across at Jayden. She smiled faintly. "Because I know Jayden can beat Dekker."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

While Jayden trained with Kevin in the dojo, Mentor was in the kitchen with Mia, Emily, Mike and Antonio. He poured tea into four cups and then distributed them to the four rangers present.

"Why are we so worried?" Antonio asked, nervously tapping his fingers against the side of his cup. "Jayden can beat anyone. He'll be fine!"

"Yeah," Emily nodded, her voice quaking with nerves. "I'm sure he will."

Mike looked between the Gold and Yellow rangers and nodded. "Yeah, definitely," he agreed, although he too didn't sound so sure of himself.

"All I know," said Mia, "is Dekker needs to be dealt with and hesitating would be a mistake."

"I'm afraid Mia is right," Mentor agreed. "There is no other choice but to fight Dekker. We just have to have faith that Jayden is prepared for this battle."

The team nodded in agreement.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Meanwhile, out in the garden Ava was lying flat on her back and staring at the stars. The moon was full and hovering over Paranoma City with great cause, protecting its inhabitants from the shadows that came with the dark; Ava just hoped that the light could reach the place where Dekker was keeping Luke.

_This is all my fault_ she thought hopelessly. _If I hadn't involved Luke in my life then none of this would have happened! He'd be safe from Dekker and everyone else that poses a threat to me and the other rangers._

Cheetah, who had been wandering around the Shiba house, appeared from around the corner and bounded over to the White ranger, winding her tail around Ava's face and pouncing up onto her chest. She sat down and looked down at the little human girl that had taken her in a few months ago.

Ava smiled and reached up to pet the feline behind the ear. It was the first smile that she had shared since she had found out that Luke had been taken, ever since Dekker had given her Luke's baseball cap the only thing she had been able to do was frown and cry.

Her father had even made Cookies, leaving the purposely out in the open for her to find, but she had just walked straight past the kitchen without as much as a batting an eyelid. She figured this is what had alerted her friends to the fact that she was seriously taking this harder than expected.

_Any normal person would be fighting for the right to save their boyfriend/girlfriend. So why aren't I?_ Ava thought as a trail of blazing white shot across the sky. A shooting star. Maybe she'd get a wish? _I wish for this to be a dream... I wish to wake up and be told that everything is fine, Luke is safe, Jayden is not training to go fight Dekker _- Ava gasped and closed her eyes, wishing hard. _I wish for my perfect world!_

But she knew, despite wishing hard, her wish was not going to come true. A perfect world? There was no such thing!

"Ava, it's time to come in," Mentor called from the front door. He had wandered outside to check on her, mostly to make sure that she had remained in the garden like she had promised. Ever since she had become a Power Ranger, Ava had started to become bolder, venturing outside of the protective symbols; he wouldn't have put it past her to leave and try and save Luke herself.

"Five more minutes," Ava called back.

"Ava, it's getting cold,"

"I'm used to the cold," Ava shrugged. _I do control snow and ice after all._

Mentor sighed and walked over towards his daughter. "Av, I know you're worried," he said sitting down beside her. "But you have to have faith..."

"Faith? Hope? It's all useless now," Ava retorted. "Luke's in trouble, Jayden's going to fight Dekker, and it's all my fault!"

"How is it your fault?" Mentor asked, startled.

Ava sighed. "Because I brought Luke into our world," she admitted.

"That doesn't make it your fault."

"I made him a target. I made him vulnerable."

"He made himself a target when he chose to help -"

"He chose to help me!" Ava cried sitting up. "If I hadn't run away then he wouldn't have helped me... If I had just taken rejection like every other kid that goes through it then I would never have met Luke; I would never have become involved with him, he would never have become mixed up in my world and he wouldn't be in danger now."

Mentor shook his head and pulled his daughter onto his lap, hugging her close to him. What could he say?

"I'm not going to see him again, am I?" Ava asked in a low voice.

"Don't talk like that," Mentor scolded. "Jayden will do everything he can to bring Luke home... you'll see him again tomorrow."

"For the last time!"

It was Mentor's turn to frown. What did that mean?

"I know I have to make a choice," Ava said, sensing her father's confusion. "I know that I cannot be with Luke and be a Power Ranger. But I also know that I cannot give up my morpher! No one life is more important that the fate of the world. It's over. The relationship I share with Luke is over," she sighed heavily, and looked back up at the moon and stars.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Feeling as restless as she had when she went to bed, Ava shuffled out of her room, pulling her t-shirt over head as she did so. She groaned at the thumping inside her skull; it had been there since the previous evening, and she couldn't help but blame Dekker for the pain she was feeling. He had gone and kidnapped Luke, making it impossible for her to concentrate on nothing but the worry and panic for her boyfriend.

As it was she had gone to bed restless, head pounding as blood rushed through her veins, filling her system with anxiety, needless to say she had not slept at all.

"I hope there's not a Nighlok attack," she grumbled reaching the bathroom. "I'll be more useless than normal..."

"Why do you always doubt yourself?" Jayden asked.

Ava jumped at the sound of his voice; she hadn't been paying that much attention to her surroundings and had not noticed that the bathroom was already occupied, at least not until she was mid-way across the room when he had decided to speak. "Why do you always have to scare me?" she asked.

"Why weren't you paying attention?"

"Lack of sleep," Ava answered. "I've had about an hour's sleep, if that!"

"Nightmares?" Jayden asked, knowing that Ava was prone to nightmares. She hadn't always been prone to them; they had started after her mother had died in battle. Often, when they had been kids, Ava would wake from a nightmare, make the short journey from her room to his and crawl into bed beside him, she always told him that he kept the bad dreams away and protected her from the monsters.

Ava shook her head. "No. Anxiety," she answered. "I'm scared, Jayden, it would be wrong of me to say otherwise."

"Don't be scared,"

"I can't help it," Ava said, shaking her head. "Luke's in trouble, and last night I managed to convince Kevin that this was the only way, and now..." she trailed off.

"What is it?" Jayden asked. "What's wrong?"

"Now I don't want you to go!" she admitted. "I don't want to lose Luke, but I don't want to lose you either!"

Jayden sighed. "You're not going to lose me," he said, grabbing the back of her neck with both his hands and tilting her head up so that he was looking down into her eyes. Her hazel orbs showed fear. "I'm coming home and I'll bring Luke with me. I promise!"

He held her gaze for a few moments longer; it was the only way he knew how to convince her that he was coming back. And then, with a gentle tug, and no thought to the consequences that would later follow, he pulled her to him, their lips meeting with a soft touch as his hands fell to her shoulders, and then further down to her waist.

To his surprise, she didn't pull away.

Ava gasped at the close contact, one that drove every realistic thought, feeling and memory out of the window, and then without thinking, without a single thought of Luke, or how this whole situation was going to turn out, she curled her hands around his shoulders, pulling him closer and urging him on.

_**Ava, what are you doing? Stop!**_ Her mind screamed, but her body refused to listen. Damn, she was in trouble. She had done everything possible to avoid being alone with Jayden after the first incident, and even after she had started dating Luke; it wasn't that she didn't trust him; it was more like she didn't trust herself. While she had, undoubtedly tried to get over Jayden by dating Luke, she knew that she would never be able to ignore the longing in her heart.

Luke was great... but he was no Jayden.

This was something she had wanted for a long time, and while there was a point where she had thought that she was finally getting her wish, Jayden had ripped it away from her by saying it was nothing but a mere mistake, but yet, here he stood, arms around her, lips against pressed against hers, kissing her as if it was going to be the last thing he ever did - and if today went sour, it probably would be.

_Finally_, after much protest, her mind started to get her body to function properly again.

Slowly, they pulled away and Jayden rested his forehead against hers, his mind flashing back to the night of their first kiss.

"Jayden," Ava whispered her gaze downcast. "You have to go!"

Jayden sighed. He knew she was right, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. After what had just transpired between them he wished, for more than anything to just disappear with her; to take her away from this whole Ranger destiny. To just hold her and kiss her whenever he wanted... he just wanted to be with her.

But they both knew that was no longer an option, if they run now, not only would they be putting their own needs before the teams and the rest of the worlds, but they would be putting their own lives at stake. Dekker would find them and when he did? It would all be over.

"Go!" Ava urged him, dropping her arms from his shoulders and hugging herself tightly.

"I love you," Jayden said.

Ava nodded.

She wanted to say it back, but she knew that she couldn't, not while she was still dating Luke. It wouldn't have been fair, he had been nothing but perfect to her since the day he found her roaming around, lost in the city; and while he hadn't told her that he loved her, she knew that he did, she could sense it.

But kissing Jayden and then telling him that she loved him? That was not fair, not to Luke and not to herself either. Yes, somewhere, deep inside, she did love Luke, but her love for Jayden was stronger. It had been around longer, and no matter how hard she tried to run from it, she knew now that it was impossible.

"I mean it this time," Jayden swore, lifting her face so that he could see her eyes. "No more making mistakes... I love you!"

Ava smiled faintly.

"Wish me luck," and with one final kiss he left her alone.

Ava felt tears sting her eyes as she looked up at her reflection in the mirror. Her stomach churned violently, and she slid down onto the floor as the tears fell freely. She felt ashamed and dirty... she had cheated on Luke, with the same person that she had been in love with for years.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The first thing Jayden noticed when he stepped outside was that the other rangers were waiting for him. He should have expected this, they weren't going to just make it easy on him and let him leave, and they were going to show their undying support all the way to the end.

"Good luck, Jayden," said Emily as he passed.

"You can do this, Bro," Mike nodded. Although no one was sure whether this was to reassure Jayden or himself.

Antonio patted Jayden's shoulder as he bumped fists with the Green ranger. "You're the best," he encouraged. "I've known that since we were kids, and it's no different today!"

"Just do what needs to be done," Mia said.

Jayden nodded at each of them and then turned to Kevin. It had taken a lot of persuasion from Ava to get Kevin to realize that this was the only way, and even now Jayden could see that the Blue ranger was relentless in letting him go. But before either ranger could say a word to one another, the gap sensor blared loudly and Ava rushed outside.

"Rhinosnorus is back," Ava announced.

"Here," said Jayden holding out the Beetle and Fire disks to Kevin.

"I don't understand," Kevin said with a look of confusion.

"With these disks you can form the Megazord without me," said Jayden. "I need you to lead the team until I get back."

Kevin stared at his team-leader as the other rangers exchanged a look of surprise from beside them. They needed a leader, and with Jayden fighting Dekker, Kevin was the best choice.

"I know you can do this," Jayden said when Kevin failed to take the disks.

"He's right," Ava agreed. "You haven't let us down yet, Kev, we all know you'd make a great Red ranger, if you weren't already an awesome Blue one," she added.

Kevin smiled as the others nodded in agreement. Ava was right. Kevin was an awesome Blue ranger, and he would, without a doubt make a great Red ranger even if they did already have one.

"It would be an honour," Kevin said finally, taking the disks. "I won't let you down, Jayden!" he promised before turning to the rest of the team. "C'mon Rangers! Let's stop that Nighlok!"

The others nodded and followed Kevin away from the Shiba house and into battle.

Before he left, Jayden exchanged a look with Mentor, he had a feeling that his godfather knew what had happened between him and Ava a mere few minutes ago, and he was fiercely determined to not let her down, but not even Mentor could stop him from leaving for what could have very well been his final battle, and with that one dreaded thought Jayden walked away.

Mentor watched him go anxiously. The time had come to see who really the stronger warrior was.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Get back here," Rhinosnorus growled as he chased scattering humans through the city streets. "If I can't tenderize you in the dream world, I'll just wolf you all down uncooked. Maybe you'll even taste better raw... just like sushi!" He grabbed a man from the floor and held him at arm's length, but quickly let him go as he was hit with a small metal blue dragon.

"Alright team, we can do this," said Kevin as he and the other rangers arrived.

"Samuraizer! Go, Go Samurai!" five out of six rangers yelled as they traced their respective symbols in the air.

"Samurai morpher! Gold power!"

"Ha!" they activated the morphin sequence and their respective coloured spandex, along with their helmets, snapped into place over their clothes.

"Samurai Rangers, ready!"

"Rangers together, Samurai forever!"

Rhinosnorus took one look at the multi-colored treats and called in for backup. "Alright, Moogers, attack!" he roared.

"For Jayden!" Kevin said as he led the way forward.

Ava followed Mike away from the rest of the group, slashing her sword in every direction and cutting down as many fish-faces as she possibly could.

"Have a nice trip," Mike said as he swung his sword under the feet of a near-by Mooger.

"Have a nice fall!" Ava added, slicing through several more Moogers that tried to box her into a corner.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Looks like he doesn't care about you," Dekker said as he walked in front of Luke. The kid was bound and kneeling at the base of a rock formation near the sea. "Shame. This battle would have been most glorious."

"Don't underestimate him," said Luke. "He'll be here!"

"You have so much faith in the Red ranger," Dekker laughed. "But you don't even like him!"

Luke shrugged. "I'll admit that Jayden and I have many differences," he nodded. "But we do share one common thing..."

"What's that?"

"We both love Ava," Luke answered. "We both want to see her happy. While I can't deny that she loves Jayden, maybe even more than me... Jayden can't deny that I make her happy, and that is all he wants!"

"That may be true," Dekker nodded. "But both of you cannot have her at the same time. You should be grateful to me."

Luke glared up at the half-Nighlok. "Grateful? For what?" he snapped. "For being kidnapped? For being forced to watch you hurt innocent people -"

"After today there will be only one person for the Little Samurai to choose from," Dekker interrupted. "After today you won't have to compete against the Red ranger; you will have the White Ranger all to yourself!"

Luke knew that he should have felt a little grateful at the idea of being the one to completely win the right to Ava's heart, but the idea of Dekker taking Jayden out of Ava's life was something that he couldn't endure, if Dekker were to destroy Jayden today then he may has well say goodbye to Ava, because he knew that he'd lose her, maybe not physically; but emotionally and mentally.

"No, I won't," he said. "Because you're not going to win!"

"You are so sure," Dekker laughed.

"Laugh all you want," Luke said. "Jayden will have promised Ava that he'd be home tonight; and I know that she is the one person he won't break a promise too. But you are right about one thing," he added with a small nod. "After today I won't have to compete against the Red ranger."

Dekker glowered at the kid in front of him. There was something about his tone that he was unsure about, was he saying that he was ready to fight Jayden for the Little Samurai or was he relinquishing the fight all together and preparing to let her go?

"It took you long enough," Dekker said suddenly. Luke looked up to see that Jayden had arrived, has promised. "Still I knew you'd come. Just like me you need this battle."

"No," said Jayden, shaking his head. "I'm nothing like you. The only thing I need to do is to stop you from hurting anyone else."

"All that matters is that you're here," said Dekker as he raised Uramasa. He pulled the sword from its cover and transformed into his half-Nighlok form.

Jayden held up his Samuraizer. "Go, Go Samurai!" he said, tracing his symbol in the air. He swiped through it and morphed instantly into the Red ranger.

Luke watched as they both prepared for their ultimate duel. He remembered Ava telling him about Dekker's threat and offer, but he never actually thought that he'd get to witness it, for once in his life he was praying that Jayden was a strong fighter like Ava had described.

"At last the time has come," said Dekker.

"Yes," Jayden agreed. "For you to fall!"

And both warriors delivered their first blow.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The sound of metal on metal was the only thing that could be heard from their specific part of the beach, while Jayden and Dekker battled; Luke struggled against the ropes that bound him. He had been trying to loosen them all morning, but the more he struggled the tighter they seemed to get. His wrists were already red raw from where they had cut into his skin.

_C'mon, Jayden_, he found himself thinking. Despite his previous hatred for the Red ranger, Luke was starting to come around to the idea that maybe he didn't have to compete with Jayden in everything; although there were a few things he'd fight him for, but if this battle panned out in their favour he knew that he'd have to make a choice between what was right and what was easy.

Life was never easy, and he guessed that being a ranger was that little extra difficult. At first he thought dating a Power Ranger was pretty cool, and in a way it was, but it was a secret that he couldn't very well share with his friends, besides they wouldn't have believed him anyway; but he also knew that if anyone, other than himself, learned of Ava's secret they'd be in as much danger as he was now.

_If you love something then let them go_, his mother had always told him. _If it comes back it's yours. If it doesn't then at least you know that you did the right thing in setting it free._

Dekker and Jayden locked swords before the Half-Nighlok broke it. He swung at Jayden, slicing him across the stomach and sending him backwards into the sea.

"Jayden!" Luke yelled out, hoping that the Red ranger was alright.

Dekker smirked and stabbed at the Red ranger. Jayden rolled out of the way just in time and Uramasa struck nothing but wet sand and waves. "Looks like he does care," he said.

"Not for me!" Jayden answered with a shake of his head.

"Yes, he told me about your common interest," Dekker nodded blocking another hit from the Red ranger. "Maybe I should have gone after her instead; I bet she would have made a more perfect captive audience, don't you think?"

Jayden felt himself shake. He couldn't afford to let Dekker get under his skin, which is what he was obviously trying to do by bringing Ava into the situation. If he allowed Dekker to get to him through Ava then he was giving the half-Nighlok a chance at the upper hand. He had to remain stoic to the whole situation, unfortunately that was one thing he was never able to do when Ava was present or mentioned.

He could act cold and stoic to everyone else. He could make it look like he didn't care about anything other than the fight for the greater good, but whenever Ava was around him everything else seemed to melt away. She was the light in the dark... the light that was paving his way to victory.

"Excellent," Dekker praised as Jayden matched his attacks perfectly. "Your instincts are superb. You are indeed proving to be my equal! I was right to choose you, Red Ranger."

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Hurry up already!" Rhinosnorus growled impatiently. The rangers, mostly Blue and Green, had really irritated him when they had cut off his mist blower, and they weren't improving his hatred for them as they cut down his Moogers with little to no effort. "I'm hungry!"

Cutting down the last of her Moogers, Ava headed towards Rhinosnorus. While he may not have helped Dekker directly in kidnapping Luke, she still didn't care. In her mind, if he hadn't attacked when he had, she would have been with Luke when Dekker arrived; she wasn't saying that she could have taken out the Half-Nighlok alone, but she could have at least put up a fight, long enough for Luke to call for help.

"Eat this!" Ava yelled slicing her sword down across the Nighlok's chest. "I'll teach you to mess with my friends!"

Rhinosnorus sparked and stumbled backwards, surprised at the White ranger's nerve. He had no clue what was happening inside her head, but he knew that it wouldn't sit well with the boss if he just sat around and let her attack him, plus, he had a vendetta against the rangers for what they did to him; and while she hadn't actually cut off his mist blower, she was personally involved with those who were, plus, she was standing in the way of his masters total destruction of Earth.

All in all he had a reason to attack her.

Ava cried out as Rhinosnorus cut across her stomach with his sword. She rolled away from him as he tried to stomp on her while she was down, and then jumped up out of his way as he struck the sidewalk with his sword.

"Spin sword!" Ava yelled whilst in the air. She replaced her power disk with her snow disk and spun it, causing a blizzard of snow to whip around her and the Nighlok. "Time to put you on the deep freeze! Snow Cyclone!"

A flurry of snow wrapped itself around the Nighlok encasing him under a thick layer of snow. Ava landed and sliced through him with her blade; he rippled with magnetic energy, but didn't explode.

"Ava," Kevin yelled running towards her. "Watch out!"

Ava turned, gasped and ducked as the Nighlok, still covered in a layer of snow, blindingly lashed at her with his sword.

"Wake up, Nighlok!" Kevin shouted locking swords with the creature before he had a chance to actually hit the White ranger. "Your dreams are over!"

"Actually my dreams are about to become your worst nightmare!" the Nighlok growled. He shook himself hard and the snow dropped away from him, melting and disappearing before it could touch the floor.

The Nighlok spun around and punched Kevin in the chest. The Blue ranger felt his feet leave the floor has he was thrown backwards; and no sooner had he touched the ground, Ava rolled into him.

"Whoa, that wasn't fun," the White ranger said, shaking her head.

"Kevin!"

"Ava!"

"We're OK," Kevin reassured the others as they arrived. "Let's get him!"

The others nodded and raced forward.

"Antonio, grab him!" Mike said, locking his arm around the Nighlok's shoulder as he flipped Emily onto the floor. Antonio did the same on the other side, both holding the Nighlok in a hold.

"Now what?" Antonio asked.

"I didn't think that far ahead!" Mike yelled as he and Antonio were thrown through the air.

Mia and Emily rushed forward as Ava and Kevin were knocked down for a second time. "Hey, mind if I cut in?" Antonio said slicing at the Nighlok only to receive a hit to the stomach in return.

"We need a plan!" Ava shouted from Antonio's side. She had rushed off to check on him. "There's no point running into this blind! He's just going to take us out one-by-one!"

Mia nodded. "Ava's right!" she agreed.

"Kev, look out!" Emily squealed as Rhinosnorus abandoned her and the others and stalked towards the Blue Ranger.

"Say hello to my Hydro Bow," Kevin said, transforming his Spin Sword into its secondary weapon. He leveled it up with the on-coming Nighlok and fired.

Rhinosnorus rippled with blue magnetic energy and exploded, before returning as a Mega Monster.

"Our problem just got a whole lot bigger," Mike sighed.

"We need to make a Megazord move," said Kevin holding up Jayden's power disk.

"You're the boss,"

"Then let's do this!" Kevin nodded.

"You guys go on," Antonio shouted as his friends run off. "I'm too weak!"

"We'll be right back," Ava shouted, turning so that she was running backwards.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"Dragon Foldingzord!"

"Bear Foldingzord!"

"Ape Foldingzord!"

"Turtle Foldingzord!"

"Penguin Foldingzord!"

"Mega Mode power!"

The five rangers threw their Spin swords into the air as their body armor transformed and they jumped into the cockpits of their now 30ft Zords.

With Spin swords in hand, the five rangers contracted them inwards and locked them into their control panels in front of them, along with their power disks.

"You guys ready?" Kevin asked.

"Yes!" Emily answered.

"Without hesitation!" said Mia.

"Let's finish it!" Ava nodded.

"Atta girl," Mike smiled.

"Zords combine!" Kevin instructed as the six zords combined to form the Samurai Megazord. "Alright team, let's get to work!"

"You're still going to snooze and loose," said Rhinosnorus as he faced them from across the city.

"Keep dreaming," said Kevin. "We're teaming up to take you out!"

"I'm going to hop and bop until you drop!" Rhinosnorus said as he started to bounce all over the place. The rangers watched him as he started to come closer, but he was moving so fast that they had no idea where he would strike first.

Kevin gasped. "Whoa!"

"Stay calm, Kevin!" Emily coached. "I know you can handle this!"

However Ava was watching Rhinosnorus like a hawk. It was if he was hyperactive or something, she was used to being hyperactive and therefore had a slight advantage that the others didn't have. To be hyperactive meant to be one step ahead of the others; it was also how she managed to fight off Jayden most days.

When they were training and she was hyper, Jayden had no clue where she would attack first; it had been annoying in the beginning, but soon Mentor and Jayden had agreed that Ava's best defence was her hyperactiveness. It would be her last best defence in any battle: Confusion the attacker and then go for the final blow.

"You have no idea where I'll hit first!" Rhinosnorus said as he became level with the Megazord.

Ava smirked. "Don't be so -" she swung the Megazord around and sliced the katana blade across Rhinosnorus stomach. He gasped, froze and keeled over onto the sidewalk as the Megazord stood over him. "- sure!" Ava finished.

"How did you do that?" Kevin grinned.

"Sugar rush!" Ava answered with a simple shrug of her shoulders. "Finish him, Kevin!"

The Blue ranger nodded. "Let's make Jayden proud and put this guy to bed!" he said.

"Yeah!" Mike, Mia and Emily nodded.

"But i'm not tired!" Rhinosnorus whined.

The rangers removed their swords from their consoles and transformed them back into their swords.

"Mega Blade!" they each shouted. "Samurai Strike!"

Rhinosnorus sparked dangerously before exploding. The explosion rocked the city but at least the Nighlok was gone.

Antonio jumped to his feet as the shaking stopped. "Yes, nice one guys!" he cheered. "That was good as gold!"

"Samurai rangers," Kevin said. "Victory is ours!"

"Well that was a lot tougher than expected," said Mike.

"Yeah, but we did it," Mia nodded.

"Thanks to Kevin," said Emily patting the Blue ranger on the shoulder.

Kevin nodded. "Thanks guys!" he smiled.

"Well done, Kev," Ava nodded. "But the days not over yet. We've got one more thing left to do."

"What's that?" Mike asked.

"Jayden!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Somehow during their battle Dekker and Jayden had moved further away from the beach and up onto the rocky cliffs above the raging sea. Luke, who had managed to remove the ropes from his wrists had followed them, but kept out of distance and sight as they continued. He knew that it wouldn't do him any good to try and interfere. This was not his fight.

"I have waited for this duel for centuries," Dekker said. "And you have not disappointed me!"

Jayden ducked as Dekker swung his sword at him again. He spun away to avoid another collision, as the Half-Nighlok aimed a second hit for his stomach. "Haven't you had enough?" he asked, taking steps backwards away from the Nighlok. By now they had reached the edge of the cliff, one false move and they'd both go over into the raging seas below.

Luke felt his heart jolt as Jayden staggered on the edge of the cliff, and a familiar voice cut through the air behind him.

"JAYDEN!"

He looked over his shoulder as Ava broke the tip of the hill. She was in civilian form and the rest of the team was behind her, luckily the two fighting warriors hadn't heard her scream, or they had but had just chosen to ignore her. Jumping out from behind his hiding spot, Luke wrapped his arms around Ava as she tried to bypass him to get to Jayden.

"Ava, the fights not over," Luke said, holding her steady. "You'll get yourself killed!"

"And now I will defeat you," said Dekker raising his sword high above his head. "And bring this to an end!"

Jayden spied Ava over Dekker's shoulder. He watched as she dropped to her knees as Luke wrapped his arms around her, keeping her beside him; she looked terrified. "You're right about one thing," he said turning his attention back to Dekker. "It is time for this to end!"

He jolted forward and froze. The tip of Dekker's sword pierced through his suit and into his chest, just beneath his shoulder blade.

"NO!" Ava's scream ripped through the air as she and the others watched as Jayden's Spin sword fell from his hand. Has it in slow motion, Ava felt her heart pounding a mile a minute inside her chest, and her breathing caught in her throat, was it possible? Had Dekker really won?

Catching the falling sword in his free hand, Jayden sliced it across Dekker's stomach. The cursed Nighlok staggered in surprise, leaving himself open for a follow up attack. Jayden did as expected; he slashed downwards with his sword and sliced Uramasa in half. The destroyed sword struck the ground behind the two warriors and Dekker, breathing heavily stared at the Red ranger in disbelief.

"A master move," he approved. "You let me wound you... so you'd get close enough to finish me!" he staggered towards the edge of the cliff. "Well fought Red Ranger, you have honored me and freed me from my torment..." he titled forwards and as he fell from the cliff's face, said "Thank you!" before disappearing in a puff of black smoke as he descended towards the raging sea.

Jayden grabbed his wrist and sank to his knees.

Ava broke away from Luke and rushed across the sea front to her friend. She fell to her knees and threw her arms around him.

"I... I won," Jayden said in a tone of disbelief as he wrapped his uninjured arm around Ava's waist.

"Yeah," Ava nodded, tears of relief streaming down her face. "Yeah, you won!"

"Jayden, are you alright?" Kevin asked from behind Ava.

"Yeah," Jayden answered.

Antonio sighed in relief and squatted down beside his two friends. "Let's get you home," he said patting his best friend on the shoulder and helping Ava back to her feet.

Kevin and Mike exchanged looks. They had seen the final outcome of the duel between Jayden and Dekker but neither could shake the nagging feeling that this was the last time that they were going to see the cursed Half-Nighlok, never mind how much stronger that Jayden proved to be, there was just something that didn't seem right about the whole situation.

As Mia, Emily and Antonio helped Jayden to his feet and led him away from the cliff's face; Ava turned to Luke, and for the first time since she had arrived, she threw her arms around him, but turned away as he went to kiss her.

She couldn't kiss him. It wouldn't have been right. Not after everything that had happened. She felt guilty about kissing Jayden when she was with Luke, and now she felt even guiltier over the fact that she had come here for Jayden and not him. She was glad that he was alive and safe, but none of that mattered anymore, her true reason for being had just left, and she wanted more than anything to be with him.

"What is it?" Luke asked pulling away and brushing a stray curl from her face.

Ava shook her head. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Av, what's wrong?" Luke asked, starting to worry. What had happened while they had been apart?

"Not here," Ava sighed. "Not now. First we need to get you healed up. C'mon, Daddy's waiting at home for us!"

Luke frowned and, wrapping his arm around her shoulders they followed the others back down the hill towards home.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

With the rangers' home safe and the battles of the day behind them, Mentor saw it fit enough to at least give them the night off, even if it was only to heal up any injuries they had received. He had fixed Luke's rope burns just enough to make it look like he hadn't actually been held captive for a whole 24 hours, while Jayden's arm was now supported by a sling. It wasn't broken, just severely sprained.

The Red ranger was now out in the back garden with Kevin, Mike and Antonio, the latter was preparing dinner for that evening while the former three were talking about the events of the past few hours.

"Where did you say the girls where?" Kevin asked noticing that Emily, Mia and Ava were missing.

"Ava's worked herself up terribly throughout the day," Mike answered. "She's thrown up about three times since she's got home."

"She worried herself sick?" Jayden asked. "Why?" he asked, although he had a slight idea as to why Ava was throwing up right now.

Mike shrugged. "We don't know," he said. "Mia and Emily are hoping to get some answers off her now. I think it was worry from you fighting Dekker and Dekker kidnapping Luke, if i'm honest."

Kevin looked thoughtful. "Yeah, that does seem like a reasonable explanation," he agreed. "What is it, Jayden?" he added seeing the look of guilt on his leader's face.

"Nothing," Jayden answered quickly. "Kevin," he added, wanting to change the topic before Mike or Kevin had a chance to catch on. "I wanted to thank you for leading the team when I couldn't."

"It was an honour," Kevin nodded. "But it's not my job."

"There can only be _one_ Red Ranger," Mike agreed.

"Hey guys," Antonio called from the grill. "Dinner is served!" he removed the lid from and revealed a sliced up fish surrounded by salad.

Kevin and Mike laughed.

"Dude," said Mike with a light chuckle. "That fish went Mega Mode!"

"Hey, when I serve fish to my friends," said Antonio, "it's got to be the best!"

Mike smirked as he spotted Cheetah over Antonio's shoulder. The feline had hopped up onto the table was snacking on one of the smaller plates of fish that Antonio had already prepared.

"What?" Antonio asked noticing that his three friends were grinning at something behind him.

"I think Cheetah agrees with you," Kevin said pointing out the feline.

Antonio frowned and turned, letting out a shout of surprise. Cheetah jumped and hissed at the Gold ranger before running off to find Emily or Ava.

Mike, Jayden and Kevin laughed in amusement as Antonio muttered under his breath in Spanish.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

After throwing up the little breakfast that was in her stomach, Ava calmly told Emily and Mia everything that had happened between her and Jayden that morning and the decision she had made in order to protect Luke. To say they had been surprised would have been an understatement, shocked would have been more of a better choice, and not just because she had cheated on Luke.

"Does he know?" Mia asked.

"Who?"

"Luke,"

Ava nodded. "Yeah, I told him before we made it home," she answered. "I kept playing the scene over and over in my mind, and it was either tell him or throw up and then have to explain why I had thrown up, either way he would have known what had happened."

"Truth is the best policy," Emily pointed out.

"I know," Ava agreed. "But just because it's the best policy doesn't mean it doesn't hurt!"

"Love hurts," Mia said.

"Love sucks," Ava pouted.

"Love would be easy if it didn't suck," Emily smiled. "But you're making the right choice. I mean, if you don't love Luke then why be with him? You'd just be stringing him along and playing him a fool when really all you want to do is be with Jayden."

Ava stared at her best friend. "When you say it like that it makes me sound like a monster," she squeaked, her eyes wide.

Mia smiled and wrapped her arms around the White ranger. "You're not a monster, Av," she reassured her. "You're just conflicted. I remember a similar situation to this happening to a friend of mine. She too was in love with two guys, but she made the ultimate choice to let one go..."

"What happened?"

"They're now engaged," Mia answered.

"So she had a happily ever after?" Emily asked.

Mia nodded. "Yes," she answered. "But the point of the story is that you'll never find what you are truly looking for until you take a leap of faith."

Ava blinked. "So you're saying that me letting Luke go is my leap of faith?" she asked.

"Maybe," Mia nodded. "My mom always used to tell me that if you loved something then to let it go," she said, "if it came back then it was meant to be yours, but if it didn't then you did the right thing in letting it be free to find the right person it is meant to be with."

"Another point to a story?" Emily asked.

Mia smiled at her sister. "Basically I am saying that if Ava lets Luke go and they end up back together at some point then they are meant to be," she said, "but if Ava lets him go and they don't end up back together then she still made the right choice because there is someone out there waiting to love Luke in ways that she couldn't."

"What about Jayden?"

"We've all established that the only person Jayden would probably ever love is Ava," Mia said. "He could easily find someone else, but he'd still always come back for her."

Ava waved her hand in the air. "Sitting right here," she said, making her presence known.

"So you are," Emily teased.

"Haha," Ava mocked looking up at the sound of a knock on her door. It opened and her father looked inside. "Hi, Daddy," she smiled. "Is everything OK?"

Mentor smiled. "Antonio says dinner is served and Luke wants to talk to you before he leaves, Av," he said.

"Thanks, Mentor," said Emily as Ava's face fell and her stomach turned over.

"Ava, breathe!" Mia coached. "Remember what I just said, and you'll be fine."

The White ranger nodded, swallowed hard and straightened up. Mia and Emily followed her from the room, but disappeared out through the back door in the kitchen while Ava made her way to the front door and beyond to meet Luke.

"Hey," Antonio said as Mia and Emily joined him and the others. "Where's Ava?"

"Yeah, she OK?" Mike asked.

Mia nodded and glanced at Emily as they sat down. "Yeah, she's fine," she nodded.

"So where is she?" Kevin asked.

"Saying goodbye to Luke," Emily answered.

Jayden paused and stared at his plate. "Excuse me," he said, leaving the table. He disappeared back into the house and made his way through the front door. He understood that he was part of the reason why Ava was breaking up with Luke, and he also understood that this was probably a difficult thing for her to do; she was going to need a friend... or better yet, she might have needed him.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

"I'm sorry, Luke," Ava apologized, as she stopped beside his car. "It just has to be this way!"

"Are you sure?" Luke asked. He wanted to make his relationship with Ava work more than anything, but he now understood that the life she lived was not one that he could survive. Being a Samurai really was the ultimate sacrifice, they had to give up everything they wanted, everything the dreamed for, just to protect the good of humanity.

"I understand if you hate me," Ava said, "but I can't risk putting you in danger any more than you already are. What happened today with Dekker... I don't want to have to relive that with someone like Xandred, I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. A few rope burns I can deal with, they are easy to heal, but..." she trailed off.

Luke sighed and nodded. "I know, Av," he said, reaching out to take her hand. "I know. But maybe, when this is all over we could give it another go?"

"If you can wait that long," Ava smiled.

"I could wait for you forever," Luke replied, spying Jayden over Ava's shoulder. "But yet, I have the feeling that you will not be there waiting for me..."

Ava frowned and glanced back towards the Shiba house; she smiled faintly and turned back to Luke.

But before she could say anything, Luke interrupted.

"I've seen the way you look at him, Ava even when we were together and I knew that somewhere deep inside you were never mine; I just didn't want to admit it was true."

"I am so sorry, Luke," Ava sniffed. "I do care about you, but I can't keep pushing my own heart to the side. I want you to be happy, but I'm afraid you won't find that with me."

"No," Luke sighed. "But I don't think anyone could ever compare to you. You are one of the most amazing girls I have ever had the pleasure of known," he smiled. "But I also understand that with me around there will always be a distraction, especially when you have to go save the world and, as much as I hate to admit it, Jayden is perfect for you."

Ava couldn't help but smile.

"Promise me you'll be careful with the Nighlok?" Luke asked.

"I promise," Ava nodded.

Luke smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Goodbye, Ava," he whispered. "I hope you find the happiness you deserve."

He then got into his car and left.

"Goodbye, Luke," Ava answered, as she watched him leave, before feeling another's presence behind her. "Go ahead," she said without looking back. "Say it; I know you want too..."

"Say what?" Jayden asked.

Ava glanced over her shoulder at him. "I told you so," she answered. "You told me all along that dating Luke was a bad idea, and that he would get hurt and I would get hurt! So go ahead, say it; prove you were right."

Jayden shook his head and drew her into a hug. "I would never do that to you," he said kissing the top of her head and looking out beyond the gates of the Shiba house. He knew how much Luke had meant to Ava, and while he would admit that he was happy he had his best friend back, he would never be as cruel as to tell her he told her so.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N:** Two days and this has FINALLY been completed. What a pain in the neck it has been editing this chapter. Everything seemed so important. Anyway what are your thoughts?

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 07:30am**


	20. Chapter 20: The Birthmas Finale

**Author's Note:** OK! Before you all start whining and complaining about me leaving out the RPM team-up. I would just like to point out (and I am sure you all know) that it holds spoilers to Super Samurai (in the form of Super Samurai mode and Shark mode) I wish to keep them in sync with the Super Samurai season; therefore have decided that the RPM team-up will come in the second season of Little Samurai. Not only that but the team-up episode also holds spoilers to this current series; mainly pairings.

**Author's Note Two: **HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I wanted to get this posted before 2013 but things got in the way. I hope this year is better than the last - or if last year was everything you expected it to be I hope your good luck lasts - my resolution this year is to graduate from University with my degree in Creative and Professional Writing; only 21 months to go, and I get a cap and gown! *Squeals excitedly*

**Dedications:** Would like to dedicate this entire season to the following: **HotaruKenobi, Grapejuice101, Chinaluv, Kib1278, Pixiescale1185, Weathergirl17248, Jessfairy88, Optima99, DJScales, Missao18, Snake Screamer, Sunheart13, Dream Lighting, Cosmos Angel and Yami Chaos, Kitten9322, Storyteller222, Dorito of Doom, Sapphire Della Robbia, Warlord-Xana, Iron-Mantis, RHatc89, Torilovesu, Flamingolover, LittleZebra, PRSluver, Smsturdy1998, Artemis Persephone Jackson, ThatOnePerson1234, Lilyrosenight, Life-Luvr123** and half a dozen Anonymous gusts that have been with me since the beginning. Thank you so very much.

**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is not recognizable. Power Rangers belongs to Saban.

**Shout Outs:** Big thank you too:** crossMIRAGE19** and **Optima99** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mates.

**Warning:** Be nice. Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flamers are not. To me haters are nothing more than jealous little people that wish they were as good as others. Jealousy is not a good trait for anyone. If you hate, do remember that you are only adding to my reviews, your words will not hurt me.

* * *

**Title:** The Little Samurai

**Summary:** A Samurai's life was dangerous; he knew that better than anyone. But with his best friend thrown into the mix, Jayden will do everything he can to protect her.

* * *

"Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!" Ava chanted as she bounded into the common room with a box of decorations under her arms. Around her neck she was wearing a garland of white tinsel (conjured up with symbol power) and on her head was a Santa's hat. "Christmas is my favourite time of the year!" she said, planting the box at Mike's feet.

"What about your birthday?" Kevin asked kneeling down to sort through the decorations she had brought.

Ava grinned. "That's the best part!" she said. "Christmas _is_ my birthday!"

"What?" Mike asked his eyes wide in surprise.

"I'm a Christmas baby," Ava answered. "I get a Birthmas!"

"A Birthmas?" Mia asked.

"A Christmas birthday!" Jayden explained, as Ava grabbed his Santa's hat and pulled it down over his eyes. He groaned and pushed it back up. "Av, calm down and go get the rest of the decorations from my room."

Ava giggled and bounced off to do as he asked. Cheetah, who had been sneaking around the house, charged after her.

"So she gets twice as many presents?" Mike asked.

"She used too," Jayden nodded.

"Great, that means more shopping!" Mike groaned. "Why couldn't you have told us this _before_ Christmas Eve?"

Jayden shrugged. "It never cropped up," he answered. "And we've been a little busy. Don't worry, Mike, Ava's pretty easy to buy for."

"Hey, is the coast clear?" Antonio asked appearing in the common room. His arms were full of boxes. "Ava's not around, is she?"

"She's getting more decorations," Mia answered. "Did you buy the entire store?"

"Nearly," Antonio grinned. "I'm going to drop these off in our room, Jay."

"No!" Kevin, Mia, Jayden and Mike yelled. Startled, Antonio swayed, tipping the boxes but managing to keep ahold of them. He threw his friends a glare, all of whom responded with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," Kevin apologized. "But Ava's in there. Put them in mine and Mike's room."

Antonio nodded and disappeared down the hall.

Mia sighed and turned back to the boys. "What did you mean Ava's easy to buy for, Jayden?" she asked.

"Well, Ava's obsessed with Penguins," the Red ranger answered. "Normally her birthday has a Penguin-related theme. But since there are more of us this year, Ji and I have decided to stick with the Christmas theme but get Penguin-related presents."

Antonio smirked as he returned. "Ava's going to look like a giant walking-talking Penguin when she sees what she's had." He nodded. "She's already got Penguin PJ's for bed tonight."

"You'd think she'd be sick of penguins," said Kevin, checking his watch. It was nearing the end of the morning. "If we can finish decorating the tree and the rest of the house by 3:00pm some of us could head out and finish another round of birthday/Christmas shopping. What do you say, Mia?"

Mia smiled up at the Blue Ranger. "Sure, sounds fun!"

"Mia and Kevin sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G..." Ava sang as she returned to the common room with another set of decorations. "Speaking of trees... where's Daddy?" she added, looking towards the front door.

"He'll be here," Antonio said. "You ready for tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh," Ava nodded. "It's gonna be the best Birthmas ever!"

She giggled and rushed from the room again.

"Is she always like this at Christmas?" Mike asked.

Jayden gave him a pointed stare. "Mike, she is like this every day of the year!" he said, in an obvious tone.

Suddenly there was a scream from the other room, followed closely by a crash. The team exchanged looks, jumped to their feet and rushed down the hall to Jayden's room. Several tree decorations had rolled across the floor and out into the hallway. Emily, who had been in her room at the time of the crash, was starting to pick them up.

Kevin peeked inside to find Ava lying under numerous boxes of decorations. "What happened?" he asked.

Ava blinked and looked up at him, blowing her hair from her face. "Avalanche!" she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Once all boxes of decorations had been moved off of Ava and into the common room. The team set about sorting through them. Ava sat at Jayden's feet with a box of tree decorations, as Cheetah curled up beside her now wearing her own Santa's hat.

The front door opened and Ji returned carrying with him a huge Douglas fir Christmas tree. "Ho, ho, ho," he chanted earning the attention of the Rangers. "Not that's what I call a Christmas tree!" he said as a weight landed on his back, he looked over his shoulder and smiled as Ava's stared at the tree with bright, wide eyes.

"Mentor," Kevin gasped.

"Awesome find, Mentor!" Mike grinned as he and the others crowded around the new tree.

"It was the biggest one they had," Mentor told them.

"It's perfect!" Ava smiled hugging her father.

"Oh, it's starting to look a lot more like Christmas," Mia smiled. "Let's decorate! Do we have pink tinsel?"

"Woah, let's get it up first," said Mike.

Between them, Mike, Kevin and Jayden carried the tree into common room, while Antonio helped Ava down from Ji's back and returned to the boxes of decorations and lights.

"I'll go get Emily," said Ava hurrying off to find her best friend. She raced around the corner, slipping on the wooden floor in her socks, but managed to keep her balance before shooting off towards the Kitchen. "Hey Emily," she smiled leaning against the table beside the blonde. "Daddy just got back with the tree. C'mon see!"

Emily smiled at her over-excited best friend. "I will in a little bit," she nodded. "I'm gonna write a Christmas letter to my sister first."

"OK. Tell Serena I said hi," Ava said as she retreated from the kitchen. She giggled as she re-entered the common room to find that the others had plastered Mike in different coloured ribbons, wrapped him up in tinsel and Jayden was in the process of hanging golden baubles from his ears. "Emily's writing to her sister," she said catching everyone's attention. "She said she'd come look in a little while!"

The others nodded and Kevin returned to a stack of presents that Ava hadn't seen before.

Mia, who had seen Ava watching Kevin, smiled and grabbed her arm. "Could you go ask Emily for more tape?" she asked, turning Ava away from Kevin and the presents.

"Emily's in the kitchen," Ava said, wanting to see what Kevin was packing.

"Well I have to check on my cookies in the oven," said Mia. "Could you get the tape from my room?"

"Why do I get the feeling you guys just want me out of the room?" Ava asked as she made her way towards the bedrooms. "If you're wrapping my birthday presents they better be worth it!" she called over her shoulder, before disappearing around the corner.

Mia sighed and turned back to the rest of the team. "Maybe we _should_ move the present wrapping to a different room?" she suggested. "At least until we can be sure Ava's not going to go snooping around? I would suggest taking her out, but I don't think being away from the house is going to work."

"It won't work," nodded Antonio. "She'd play hell to stay."

"What about the kitchen?" Mike suggested.

"With Emily in the kitchen," said Mia, "Ava will be back and forth all day."

"There's a spare room down the hall," said Jayden. "Ji usually does the wrapping down there. Ava never goes in there."

"Why not?"

Jayden shrugged. "Dunno. It's the safest place to hide Christmas and Birthday presents."

Kevin nodded. "OK. Someone want to help me move all these before the Samurai whirlwind comes back?"

"I will," Antonio laughed grabbing a stack of boxes and leaving the room. Kevin in tow.

As soon as both Kevin and Antonio left. Ava returned. "Where'd they go?" she asked noticing Antonio and Kevin's absence straightaway.

"Santa took 'em," said Mike, tossing a crystal white bauble at her. "C'mon, we've got a tree to decorate."

Ava grinned and caught the ball. Normally things in the Shiba house were done via Symbol power, but decorating the tree was the best part of Christmas, and Ava, as well as the rest of the Rangers, preferred to do it by hand.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Whilst Mike and Jayden kept Ava occupied, Mia slipped into the kitchen with Emily and Antonio helped Kevin wrap more presents.

"What's that smell?" Jayden asked.

"I'm guessing Mia's either a) burnt the cookies, or b) added her own secret recipe," said Mike. "Remember the time she almost burned down the kitchen cooking that chicken?"

Ava giggled. "Hey, that was their first date," she said tying a garland of red tinsel around Jayden's neck. "Also the night that Emily and I convinced Daddy to let us keep Cheetah!"

The feline looked up at the sound of her name.

"Yes, I'm talking about you, baby!" Ava cooed, reaching down to scratch the ginger feline behind the ears. She looked up when the doorbell rang. "I'll get -"

Ji appeared in the doorway to the common room. "I'll get it!" he said, interrupting his daughter.

"What are guys hiding from me?" Ava asked.

"Why do you think we're hiding anything from you?" Mike asked. "Why are you so special?"

Ava glowered at him, although she knew that he was joking. "Well, let's see, it _could_ be for either one of us in the house, but considering tomorrow is not only my seventeenth Christmas on Earth, but it is also my seventeenth birthday!"

"What's your point?" Jayden teased covering her in chain of snowflake twinkle lights.

"More presents for me, silly!" Ava smiled. "Careful, I don't want to die before my birthday!" she added loosening the lights from around her throat.

"Would I hurt you?" Jayden asked.

Ava shrugged. "I dunno would you?" she asked.

Jayden looked thoughtful as he draped another set of white tinsel over her shoulders, around her arms and then let them drop to the floor. All throughout his decorating Ava straightened the garland of tinsel around his neck; they were _supposed_ to be decorating the tree, not each other.

Mia, who had returned to the common room a few minutes ago, exchanged a knowing look with Mike. The Green ranger smirked and dived for the nearest box. It was half-empty but held exactly what he was looking for. "Here," he said, handing a small pile of leaves that Mia recognized as the European plant with yellowish flowers and white berries.

"Mistletoe?" Mia questioned.

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "I know you, Mia, you're a sucker for a happy ending, and you think this maybe _their_ chance for a happy ending - or, at least, a happy beginning!"

Mia looked hesitant. Christmas would have been the perfect time of the year for Jayden and Ava to move slightly forward with their relationship status. Ever since Ava had broken up with Luke a few months prior she and the Red ranger had been nothing but closer than before. "But i'm not the prankster here, Mike," she said, shaking her head. "If it's meant to happen, it'll happen in its own way!"

"Fine," Mike said with a childish grin. "I'll get Antonio to help me."

He hurried out of the common room in search of the Gold ranger.

Mia sighed and turned back to Jayden and Ava. They had both abandoned decorating themselves and returned their attention to the tree. It was almost finished, save for a few balls here and there and the star for the top. "Where _is_ the star?" she asked as she joined Ava and Jayden to finish up.

"Um..." Ava frowned taking the twinkle lights from around her neck and hooking them onto the tree. She weaved them over and under the branches as she walked around the fir. "It's in one of the boxes. I'll look now - where'd Mike go?"

"He's gone to check with Antonio about something," said Mia. She knew she should have warned both Ava and Jayden about Mike's plan, but she didn't have the heart to do so. Not only because it was Christmas Eve, and she supposed that she should have let Mike have his fun, but also because she wanted Ava to at least get _one_ Christmas wish come true. "I'll be right back!"

Ava frowned and turned to Jayden as Mia left the common room. "Remember that feeling I had earlier?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jayden nodded.

"It just got worse!"

Jayden smiled and shook his head. "C'mon, we've just got the star now," he said, reaching into the nearest box and pulling out the golden star. "D'you wanna do it?" he asked, holding it out to her.

Ava smiled and took the star in her arms.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

With the tree done and dusted, the presents (both Christmas and Birthday) all wrapped and under the tree, the rangers gathered in the kitchen for egg-nog and a trade of stories from Christmas past. It was Mike's turn to speak, and as they listened Ava poured a small bit of egg-nog into a bowl for Cheetah. The feline was still wearing her Santa's hat.

"I'm surprised she's kept it on so long," Mia said.

"She likes it," Emily smiled. "She's Santa's little helper!"

"How can she be a helper? She has no hands!" said Kevin.

"She has paws," Ava smiled.

"No thumbs," Kevin corrected, quickly.

Ava pouted. "Don't be jealous because you can't be Santa's little helper, Kev!" she scolded, adding more egg-nog to the bowl.

"You don't like that, do you?" Antonio said, finishing his own drink.

"What gave you that idea?" Ava asked.

Antonio smirked. "Because you've given half, if not all, of it to Cheetah. If you don't like it, Av, don't drink it!" he said.

"I didn't want to waste it," Ava mumbled.

Antonio shook his head and reached for her glass. He emptied the remains of her drink down the drain, and washed both his glass and her's. "See, no waste," he smiled. "Oh, Mentor told me that you usually open one Christmas and one Birthday present on Christmas Eve, right?"

Ava nodded. "Yeah, but I don't mind leaving them all until tomorrow," she said.

"Well, these two you may _want_ to open tonight!" Antonio said. "They're not from any of us." He added quickly as the White ranger looked around at the rest of the team. "Someone dropped them off earlier while you were decorating the tree."

Ava's eyes lit up as she looked around at Mike and Jayden. "See, I _told_ you whoever was at the door was for me!" she giggled, vaulting off of her stool and running back into the common room.

"What's up?" Mike asked, turning to Antonio and Kevin. Since they had been the present wrappers; they knew who and what Ava was getting for Christmas and her birthday.

"Luke dropped his presents off," Kevin answered. "He knows they're not together anymore but he wanted to get her something. He asked to wish her a Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas. We offered him to stay, but he said he had to work."

"Why doesn't he come up tomorrow?" Emily asked. "I doubt he'd be working on Christmas Day."

Antonio shrugged. "I dunno. I don't think he wants to intrude," he said. "He still loves her, you know?"

Mia nodded. "Yeah. But Ava made the right choice," she said. "There was no point being with someone if there was nothing there between you, right?"

The others nodded in agreement, before retreating to the common room as Ava called out to them. She was sat in the middle of the room with the two presents that Antonio had been talking about, her father was also with her, but she had refused to open any of them without the others present.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

_Finally_ it was time for bed. The house, which had been covered in every decoration possible, glistened and twinkled like something straight out of a fairytale. Presents were piled high under the tree, normally there weren't many Christmas presents, just birthday ones, but with their being more than just Jayden and Ava this year the presents had piled up.

With the Rangers already in bed (and some, in Ava and Mike's case) already sleeping, Ji was putting the finishing touches in before going to bed himself.

While the team had been pre-occupied in keeping Ava occupied and away from the presents, he had been busy trying to keep Mike inside. When Kevin had said that he and Mia were heading into town to get a few last minute gifts, he had to recruit Emily and Antonio into keeping Mike occupied.

They had done so perfectly.

Not only had Mike helped decorate the tree, he had also covered the whole house in Mistletoe and garlands. Ji knew that this was to disguise the plant from those who were misfortunate to pass underneath it, but he already had a vague idea that the two 'misfortunate' people were to be Ava and Jayden.

"There," he smiled standing back to admire the gift that had just been delivered. It was Mike's. He and the rest of the team had come together to buy Mike something that he was never going to forget, it was definitely going to be the best present he would receive this year.

Returning inside, Ji checked in on each of his rangers - they were all asleep. Ava was curled up in a tight ball with the stuffed Penguin that she had had since the day she was born, and the lion that Jayden had bought the year previous.

Ji smiled as he brushed a stray curl from his daughter's sleeping face, and then kissed the side of her head. "Goodnight, Ava," he whispered. "Merry Christmas!"

Ava smiled in her sleep. She had heard him, but she was too tired (and a little - OK a lot - excited) to wake up and say it back. She'd wait until morning.

As Ji left Ava's room and returned to his own, Mike stuck his head out of his door and glanced around. Careful, as not to wake Kevin, the Green ranger closed his bedroom door and crept into Ava's. He had a plan to sleep in the common room, and he wanted to see if Ava would join him.

"Hey, Av, wake up," he called in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Hmm? Wha's going on?" Ava asked tiredly. "Mike, is everythin' OK?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded. He felt a little guilty for waking her, maybe it would have been a better idea to leave her sleep.

"Then why are you awake?"

"I was going to sleep in the common room," Mike answered.

"Why?"

"Every year, since I was a little kid, I've slept near the tree on Christmas Eve,"

Ava smiled tiredly. "Can I come?" she asked. "I've never slept in the common room on Christmas."

Mike nodded. "Yeah. C'mon on, it'll be fun!" he grinned. "You never know, we may get a chance to see Santa!"

Ava giggled, grabbed her pillow, a sleeping bag and her stuffed animals, before creeping out of bedroom and into the common room with Mike. The Green ranger set up their sleeping bags at the base of the tree, as Ava glanced out of the window.

"Do you think it'll snow tomorrow?" she asked, curiously.

"I don't know," Mike answered. "It sure is cold enough!"

"I wish it would snow."

Mike finished setting up the blankets and rolled into his own, as Ava snuggled down into hers. "We don't need snow to have fun," he said. "We'll make our own fun!"

Ava smiled and nodded. "Goodnight, Mike," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Av," Mike replied. "Happy Birthmas!"

Ava smiled and lay down, looking up at the ceiling.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!"

**~*Little Samurai*~**

The next morning, Ava's eyes snapped open at exactly the same time as Mike's; it was like they had been programmed to awake at exactly that moment. They paused for a brief second and looked around, everything was as it should have been, the presents were under the tree and there was a white glow streaming in through the windows.

"It's Christmas!" they both squealed as they looked back at each other.

Scrambling out of her sleeping bag, Ava made a beeline for the front doors. The inside one was open, seeing as the bedrooms were just beyond it; she gripped onto the handle and pulled it open, revealing the doors beyond which the rest of the Samurai slept.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" she screamed pushing open doors and startling awake those behind them. "WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY! SANTA CAME!"

"IT SNOWED!" Mike shouted from the common room. "AVA, IT SNOWED! YOU GOT YOUR WISH!"

Giggling excitedly, Ava returned to common room and almost collided with Mike who had been coming to get anybody (mainly Kevin) who refused to get up; but the sound of thunderous footfalls was enough to tell him that Ava had done the job instead.

Emily was the first one into the common room; she spotted Ava and Mike and threw her arms around them, giggling excitedly. Mia joined them as soon as she arrived, and Mike broke apart to join the guys, leaving the three girls to themselves.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," Ji said as he arrived last.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" the team shouted, before attacking the Christmas piles. Ava grabbed a box wrapped in Yellow and handed it straight to Emily, while Antonio grabbed one wrapped in White and handed it to her.

"It's a scarf!" Emily squealed revealing a new black and yellow scarf from inside the yellow paper. "I told you!" she said nudging Ava. "It's so pretty!"

"Oh, a new apron!" Mia gasped as she removed the last of the wrapping paper from her present.

"Oh, you're the best!" Kevin said, happily unwrapping a blue swimming towel.

Ava's eyes lit up as she ripped open her present and a tiny baby plush penguin fell out. "Oh, he's so cuuuute!" she squealed scooping him up and squeezing him, the second she did the penguin issued a high-pitched squeak, reducing Ava to giggles.

"We wanted to get you a real one," said Antonio, as he opened a brand new set of fishing spools. He jabbed his finger in Jayden's direction, "he wouldn't let us!"

Jayden rolled his eyes. "We can't have a Penguin running around the place," he said, unwrapping another present and pulling out a black baseball glove. "Oh, this is awesome!"

"All you need now is a ball to go with it!" Ava said. "And technically Penguin's don't run!"

"OK, Miss. Smarty-Pants," Jayden teased, grabbing her arm and pulling her onto his lap. "What do they do?"

Ava giggled and clutched around him with both her arms. "They waddle," she grinned.

"Hey, Mia, there's another one here for you," said Emily passing over the book.

"Thank you," the Pink ranger said, ripping into the paper to reveal a book labeled Fresh and Crunchy. "I love it!" she smiled.

"There are some recipes in there," Kevin nodded. "You should read it!"

"And not detour from what it says," Antonio muttered.

Ava and Emily grinned as Mia shook her head at them. She knew that they didn't approve of her cooking, but was thankful that they didn't shun her completely; at least with a new cookbook she could only improve her skills.

"Perfect!" Kevin suddenly exclaimed as Ji presented him with another present. He unwrapped it and held up an all-black wrist watch. "This is just what I needed! My old one is slow by three seconds!"

The others exchanged looks and giggled.

"Ava, catch," said Kevin passing her another Christmas gift. She'd get her Birthday ones after breakfast.

"Ooh, squishy!" Ava said catching the package. She held it up and shook it, but it made no sound. She squeezed it; like she had done Antonio's but was reward with silence. "Mhmm..." she murmured, ripping into the paper. Damn, wrapping paper was nothing against that girl. Moments later, a stuffed dragon, all blue, was left in her lap. "Aww, Kev, it's awesome! I'm gonna call him, _Draco_!"

"Naturally," Antonio chuckled. "Considering _Draco_ in Latin means Dragon!"

"Yup!" Ava nodded.

"Why a Dragon?" Mike asked.

"Why not?" Ava asked.

"I thought you were a Penguin?"

"I am," Ava giggled. "But now I am three gifts closer to my goal! I already have a Penguin and a Lion!"

Mike looked continued to look confused, while Mia knew exactly what Ava was trying to say. "She's aiming for a stuffed collection of the Foldingzords, Mike," she told him. "She already has three. I'm sure Santa's brought you the whole set, Av," she added to the Birthday Girl.

Ava eyed the White presents hungrily.

"Before you attack what's left," said Ji, stepping in front of his daughter and causing her to crane her neck to look at him. "Open this one!" he held out a small, but long box.

"Daddy, you look like a giant!" Ava said, as she titled backwards. Jayden's arms secured themselves around her waist so that if she did go too far back, she wouldn't hit the floor and hurt herself. Her eyes lit up again as she saw the present; she grabbed it and pulled off the ribbon, before ripping open the paper.

She blinked at the dark blue box that lay beneath the paper, before digging her nails under the clasp and lifting the lid. She gasped as a fine-chained necklace with a glittering snowflake lay on a black velvet cushion. "Oh, it's so pretty!" she whispered, looking up at her father. "But who -?"

"This was with it," Ji said handing her a card.

Ava opened the card and read the words aloud:

_Dear Ava,_

_Happy Birthmas, my Little Samurai._

_Love you heaps._

_Mommy._

_xx_

"She bought this when you were born," said Ji.

"And you kept it for seventeen years?" Ava asked.

Ji shrugged. "You're not supposed to get it until you come of age," he said. "The rest of the White rangers received theirs when they were eighteen. But I thought this year may have been a little more special."

Ava smiled and held the box out to Mia. "Help me? Please!" she asked.

Carefully Mia unclasped the necklace and passed it to Jayden who put it around Ava's neck. The Birthday Girl helped by moving her hair to the side, allowing Jayden to see what he was doing. Once the chain was secured safely, Ava looked down as the snowflake rested against her chest.

"It really suits you, Av," Antonio nodded.

"Thanks," Ava smiled, reaching up to play with it. "Merry Christmas to you too, Mommy!" she murmured, her eyes filling with tears. But they weren't tears of sadness, but rather tears of happiness and joy. She missed her mother heaps, but now she had something to always remember her by.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

With all presents (save for the Birthday presents) opened, each of the rangers sat around admiring their new stuff. Emily was wearing her new scarf and gloves, while looking at a picture that Ava had given her of her new extended family: The Rangers, Ji and Cheetah.

Mia sat between Mike and Jayden looking over her new cookbook - she couldn't decide which recipe she wanted to try first and already deduced that she would make several of them for her team-mates to try.

Kevin, who had wrapped his new swimming towel around his neck, and was wearing a pair of antlers on his head, while his watch was strapped to his wrist, was reading through a swimming booklet that he had been given.

Antonio was happily looking through his new fishing equipment with Ava. She had moved away from Jayden a while ago, mostly to investigate if there were any more Christmas presents under the tree, but now she had grown bored of searching and settled down beside her twin-brother.

"When it gets warmer," Antonio said, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "I'll take you fishing!"

"I am not going near a body of water with you," said Ava. "You always throw me in!"

Antonio laughed. "I promise I won't," he said.

"Pinky promise?"

Antonio nodded and wrapped his little finger around hers, and shook.

"Did Santa forget me?" Mike asked, breaking the silence that had fallen. He looked downhearted as he was the only one who had received a gift; even Cheetah had received a new gift. A new Yellow and White collar with the Shiba crest on its tag, along with her name and address.

The others paused in what they were doing and looked up. Ava caught Jayden's eye and bit her lip to keep from grinning.

"Now wait," said Ji, "I think there is an envelope under the tree."

"An envelope?" Mike frowned. That was it? That was his big present? An envelope?

Ji straightened up and passed the flimsy white sheet of paper to the Green ranger. Ava smiled as she looked to Antonio, her body quivered as she tried to restrain her giggles; obviously she knew what Mike was getting, she had been there when her father had bought it.

Mike opened the envelope and pulled out a slip of paper. "Go to the front door," he read, earning a confused look from Kevin. Jumping to his feet, Mike tore off towards the front door, leaving his friends to trail behind him. He wrenched open the second set and stopped dead, his eyes wide at the present out in the snow.

"NO WAY!" he yelled, happily, glancing back at his friends. He spun around and threw his arms around Ava and Emily. "Thank you, guys! So much!"

"Here, go for it!" said Antonio, throwing Mike's jacket at him.

Mike grinned, shrugged on his coat and raced for his new bike.

"Have fun!" Mia, Ava and Emily called after him.

"Whoo-hoo!" Mike cheered. "A-Booya!"

"He is happy!" Kevin nodded, leaning against the doorframe and watching as Mike tore off through the snow, shouting 'catch you later!' as he disappeared.

**~*Little Samurai*~**

Christmas had gone off without a problem. Presents had been opened. Breakfast had been eaten. Mike - well Mike had missed breakfast because he was still out on his bike, and the rangers were now gathered back in the common room watching Ava prepare herself for the dive into her Birthday presents; it was a good thing that some of them were soft.

"Where is he?" Ava whined. Her father had been determined that she wasn't to start without Mike. "He knows it's my birthday!"

"It's also Christmas, Av," said Antonio.

"Nuh-uh," said Ava, shaking her head. "Christmas is over now! It's birthday time!"

"Who says?" Antonio argued.

"Me!" said Ava.

"Who put you in charge?"

"I'm the Birthday Girl!" Ava answered. "And my Mommy always used to say that my birthday started after Breakfast! Breakfast has passed... therefore so has Christmas!"

Antonio shook his head. "You're weird!" he said.

Ava gasped and threw her pillow, which was still in front of the Christmas tree just buried under wrapping paper, at the Gold ranger.

Antonio grunted and pretended to fall off his stool.

"Jayden, am I weird?" Ava asked as Antonio picked himself back up.

"No," Jayden said, shaking his head.

The front door opened and Emily looked up as Mike hurried inside. He removed his scarf and Santa hat, before shrugging out of his jacket. "Sorry I made you wait, Av," he apologized.

"It's OK," Ava smiled. "You're here now."

"But we didn't hear your bike," said Mia. "Did you run out of gas?"

"Oh no," said Mike, shaking his head. "No, I gave it away!"

"What?" the team asked surprised.

"I saw these two guys at the park who had nothing at all," said Mike, "and it made me think about what I had here with all of you. I wanted them to have something special so I gave them my bike."

Ava smiled as she scooped up Cheetah, while Emily wrapped her arm around Mike's waist. "Mike," the blonde smiled, as Mike held her too him. "You're something else!"

"That's some real Christmas spirit," Kevin said. "Merry Christmas, Mike!"

"Merry Christmas, Kev," Mike nodded, hugging the others as they joined him and Emily.

"Merry Christmas!" they all yelled clinking their glasses of egg-nog.

Ava, who had already established that she didn't like egg-nog, spotted her Birthday presents and, pulling away from Mike and the others, made a dive for them. "HAPPY BIRTHMAS!" she laughed, as she landed amongst the small pile, popping up seconds later and smiling, happily as her friends laughed at her.

This truly was one of the best Christmas's – or Birthmas's - ever hosted at the Shiba House.

_**The End**_

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

_That's it folks! Ava's first adventure is over! See you all when I return with more Ava and the Super Samurai team. Do you think we can end this story on 200 reviews? Pretty please with a snowflake on top?_

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Tuesday, January, 2013 at 04:54am**


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